Jefferies Financial Group Begins Coverage on Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA)

Investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) in a note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $13.00 price target on the real estate investment trust’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 22.93% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on DEA. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Easterly Government Properties from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com upgraded Easterly Government Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Easterly Government Properties from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th.

Easterly Government Properties Price Performance

DEA stock opened at $10.58 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $11.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $12.19. The stock has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of 58.75 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 4.01, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. Easterly Government Properties has a 1 year low of $10.18 and a 1 year high of $14.53.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $78.25 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $79.49 million. Easterly Government Properties had a return on equity of 1.34% and a net margin of 6.25%. The company’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.28 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Easterly Government Properties will post 1.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Darrell W. Crate acquired 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $10.91 per share, for a total transaction of $109,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 171,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,870,835.89. The trade was a 6.19 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 8.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Easterly Government Properties during the fourth quarter worth approximately $121,000. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Easterly Government Properties during the fourth quarter worth approximately $512,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 93.0% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 327,382 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,719,000 after acquiring an additional 157,765 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 60.0% during the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 48,149 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $537,000 after acquiring an additional 18,049 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PharVision Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Easterly Government Properties during the fourth quarter worth approximately $266,000. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Easterly Government Properties Company Profile

Easterly Government Properties, Inc (NYSE: DEA) is based in Washington, DC, and focuses primarily on the acquisition, development and management of Class A commercial properties that are leased to the U.S. Government. Easterly’s experienced management team brings specialized insight into the strategy and needs of mission-critical U.S.