KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Invests $799,000 in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 70,300 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $799,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS owned 0.07% of Easterly Government Properties at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Easterly Government Properties during the third quarter valued at $312,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,909,257 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,928,000 after buying an additional 15,868 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 48,846 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $663,000 after acquiring an additional 1,637 shares during the period. Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 29.3% in the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 15,858 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $215,000 after acquiring an additional 3,592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 18.9% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 98,673 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,340,000 after acquiring an additional 15,678 shares during the period. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DEA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Easterly Government Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Easterly Government Properties in a report on Monday, March 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $13.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Easterly Government Properties from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Easterly Government Properties from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DEA opened at $10.61 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.92 and a beta of 0.73. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 52-week low of $10.18 and a 52-week high of $14.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a current ratio of 4.01. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $10.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.01.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.22. Easterly Government Properties had a return on equity of 1.34% and a net margin of 6.25%. The firm had revenue of $78.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $79.49 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Easterly Government Properties, Inc. will post 1.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Easterly Government Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.265 dividend. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.00%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. Easterly Government Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 557.89%.

Easterly Government Properties 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.