Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Rating Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday.

Separately, B. Riley began coverage on shares of Saul Centers in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set a buy rating and a $43.50 target price for the company.

Saul Centers Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Saul Centers stock opened at $36.10 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.34, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.36. Saul Centers has a 1 year low of $32.13 and a 1 year high of $41.04. The company has a market capitalization of $865.68 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.87 and a beta of 1.08.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.54%. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio is presently 136.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Saul Centers

In related news, CEO B Francis Saul II purchased 8,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $37.80 per share, with a total value of $325,080.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 146,706 shares in the company, valued at $5,545,486.80. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO B Francis Saul II purchased 8,600 shares of Saul Centers stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $37.80 per share, for a total transaction of $325,080.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 146,706 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,545,486.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO David Todd Pearson acquired 2,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $36.52 per share, with a total value of $83,996.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 6,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $226,570.08. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 56.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Saul Centers

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers in the third quarter worth about $99,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Saul Centers during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $137,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in Saul Centers in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $255,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Saul Centers in the third quarter valued at approximately $239,000. Finally, Centersquare Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 8,100 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $318,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. 49.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Saul Centers Company Profile

Saul Centers is a self-managed, self-administered equity REIT headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Saul Centers currently operates and manages a real estate portfolio comprised of 61 properties that includes (a) 57 community and neighborhood Shopping Centers and Mixed-Use properties with approximately 9.8 million square feet of leasable area and (b) four land and development properties.