Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.13 EPS

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.13, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $74.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $75.11 million. Saul Centers had a return on equity of 12.34% and a net margin of 12.43%.

Saul Centers Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of BFS stock traded up $0.92 on Friday, reaching $35.12. 51,473 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 57,387. The stock has a market cap of $860.39 million, a P/E ratio of 33.13 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $33.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.36. Saul Centers has a 1-year low of $29.16 and a 1-year high of $35.75.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th were issued a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 15th. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio is presently 222.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Trading of Saul Centers

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Saul Centers by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 13,027 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Saul Centers by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,742 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC increased its holdings in Saul Centers by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 14,860 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $469,000 after purchasing an additional 607 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in Saul Centers by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 13,191 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $416,000 after purchasing an additional 689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in Saul Centers by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 33,637 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,072,000 after purchasing an additional 795 shares in the last quarter. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Saul Centers Company Profile

Saul Centers, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in the ownership, development and management of retail properties. The company’s portfolio is focused on grocery-anchored and necessity-based shopping centers, providing stable, long-term cash flows through leasing arrangements with national and regional retailers. In addition to ground-up development, Saul Centers actively pursues redevelopment and adaptive reuse projects to enhance value in existing assets.

Founded by the Saul family in 1945, Saul Centers has grown from a local real estate development firm into a listed REIT while maintaining its headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland.