UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                           --------------------------

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 Current Report
     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


         Date of Report (date of earliest event reported): May 27, 2009


                           EASTGROUP PROPERTIES, INC.
                           --------------------------
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)


         Maryland                         1-07094                13-2711135
         --------                         -------                ----------
(State or Other Jurisdiction     (Commission File Number)      (IRS Employer
     of Incorporation)                                       Identification No.)

              190 East Capitol Street, Suite 400, Jackson, MS 39201
              -----------------------------------------------------
          (Address of Principal Executive Offices, including zip code)

                                 (601) 354-3555
                                 --------------
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

                                 Not Applicable
                                 --------------
          (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

     Check the  appropriate  box below if the Form 8-K  filing  is  intended  to
simultaneously  satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

[]   Written  communications  pursuant to Rule 425 under the  Securities Act (17
     CFR 230.425)
[]   Soliciting  material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
     240.14a-12)
[]   Pre-commencement   communications  pursuant  to  Rule  14d-2(b)  under  the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[]   Pre-commencement   communications  pursuant  to  Rule  13e-4(c)  under  the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))



ITEM 5.02  Departure of Directors or Certain  Officers;  Election of  Directors;
Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

     On May 27,  2009,  the  Compensation  Committee of the  Company's  Board of
Directors  established  the  performance  measures for the Company's 2009 annual
cash  incentive  and  bonus  compensation,  the  2009  annual  long-term  equity
incentive  awards and the 2009  supplemental  annual  long-term equity incentive
awards for the executive officers of the Company.

     The performance goals were developed by the Compensation Committee with the
assistance of a nationally  recognized  consulting firm who, among other things,
benchmarked  compensation practices of companies in the Company's peer group and
advised the Compensation Committee on appropriate compensation guidelines.

Adoption of Annual Cash Bonus Performance Goals

     The amount of the annual  cash  incentive  and bonus  compensation  that an
executive  officer  may  receive is based 60% upon the  amount of the  Company's
funds  from  operations  (FFO)  per  share  compared  to  FFO  goals  set by the
Compensation  Committee  and 40% based on individual  bonus  payment  objectives
established  by the  Compensation  Committee  for each  executive  officer.  The
Compensation  Committee  determined  the FFO goals for different  levels of cash
incentive  compensation after an analysis of the Company's  internally  prepared
estimate of FFO for 2009 and the  estimates of 2009 FFO prepared by  independent
securities analysts who follow the Company.

     The  cash  incentive  and  bonus  compensation  that  the  Company's  named
executive officers are eligible to receive are as follows:


                                        2009 Cash Incentive Compensation
                                            Estimated Future Payouts
                                                              
           Name                    Threshold        Target            High

David H. Hoster II............     $210,000        $420,000         $630,000
  President and Chief
  Executive Officer
N. Keith McKey................     $118,950        $237,900         $356,850
  Executive Vice President
  and Chief Financial Officer
John F. Coleman...............      $76,950        $153,900         $230,850
  Senior Vice President
William D. Petsas.............      $74,100        $148,200         $222,300
  Senior Vice President
Brent W. Wood.................      $67,350        $134,700         $202,050
  Senior Vice President


     The actual  amount of the  annual  cash  bonuses  is subject to change,  or
elimination entirely, in the Compensation Committee's discretion.



Adoption of Annual Long-Term Equity Incentive Performance Goals

     The annual  long-term equity incentive awards are contingent on the Company
meeting  annual  performance  goals  set  by  the  Compensation  Committee.  The
performance goals are based upon the Company's (i) same store growth as compared
to peer  companies  (25% of the award),  and (ii) certain  strategic  objectives
identified by the Compensation  Committee and reviewed in a subjective nature at
the end of the year (75% of the award).

     Annual  long-term  equity incentive awards will be paid in restricted stock
that will vest over a five-year period beginning  January 1, 2010. All awards of
restricted  stock will be awarded out of and in  accordance  with the  Company's
2004 Equity  Incentive  Plan, as amended.  The  restricted  stock awards will be
based on a specified  dollar amount divided by the average  closing price of the
Company's  Common Stock for January 2009. The annual  long-term equity incentive
awards that the Company's named  executive  officers are eligible to receive for
2009 are as follows:


                                 2009 Annual Long-Term Equity Incentive Awards
                                            Estimated Future Payouts
                                            (# of restricted shares)
                                                             
             Name                  Threshold        Target            High

David H. Hoster II............       7,592          15,184           22,776
N. Keith McKey................       3,623           7,247           10,870
John F. Coleman...............       2,416           4,831            7,247
William D. Petsas.............       2,416           4,831            7,247
Brent W. Wood.................       2,416           4,831            7,247


     The  actual  amount of the  annual  long-term  equity  incentive  awards is
subject to change,  or elimination  entirely,  in the  Compensation  Committee's
discretion.

Adoption of Supplemental Annual Long-Term Equity Incentive Performance Goals

     Due to recent market volatility,  the Compensation Committee elected not to
adopt a new  multi-year  long  term  equity  incentive  program  at this time to
replace the multi-year  program that covered the performance  years 2006 through
2008. Rather, the Compensation Committee adopted a supplemental annual long-term
equity  incentive  program for 2009 that is  structured  similarly  to the prior
multi-year  program.  However,  the Company's relative and absolute  performance
will be reviewed on a one-year basis and the potential award for each officer is
comparable to 1/3 of the potential award under a comparable multi-year program.

     The  2009  supplemental   annual  long-term  equity  incentive  awards  are
contingent  on  the  Company  meeting  annual   performance  goals  set  by  the
Compensation  Committee.  The performance goals are based upon the Company's (i)
total  stockholder  return as  compared to the total  stockholder  return of the
NAREIT  Equity  Index  (20% of the  award);  (ii)  total  stockholder  return as
compared to the total  stockholder  return of peer companies (20% of the award);
and (iii) absolute average total stockholder return (60% of the award).



     2009 supplemental  annual long-term equity incentive awards will be paid in
restricted  stock that will vest over a four-year  period  beginning  January 1,
2013.  All awards of  restricted  stock will be awarded out of and in accordance
with the Company's 2004 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended.  The restricted stock
awards will be based on a specified dollar amount divided by the average closing
price of the Company's  Common Stock for January 2009. The  supplemental  annual
long-term equity  incentive  awards that the Company's named executive  officers
are eligible to receive for 2009 are as follows:


                                   2009 Supplemental Annual Long-Term Equity
                                                Incentive Awards
                                            Estimated Future Payouts
                                            (# of restricted shares)
                                                             
             Name                  Threshold        Target            High

David H. Hoster II............       7,592          15,184           22,776
N. Keith McKey................       3,623           7,247           10,870
John F. Coleman...............       2,416           4,831            7,247
William D. Petsas.............       2,416           4,831            7,247
Brent W. Wood.................       2,416           4,831            7,247


     The actual amount of the  supplemental  annual  long-term  equity incentive
awards is  subject to  change,  or  elimination  entirely,  in the  Compensation
Committee's discretion.

                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Date:    June 2, 2009

                           EASTGROUP PROPERTIES, INC.


                           By: /s/ C. BRUCE CORKERN
                               ----------------------
                               C. Bruce Corkern
                               Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting
                               Officer and Controller