Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 364,923 shares, a decrease of 18.5% from the January 15th total of 447,998 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 70,238 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.2 days. Approximately 3.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 3.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 70,238 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.2 days.

Saul Centers Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of BFS stock traded up $0.79 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $35.21. 53,111 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 65,897. Saul Centers has a 12-month low of $29.16 and a 12-month high of $37.88. The business’s fifty day moving average is $32.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.29, a current ratio of 1.51 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $859.45 million, a P/E ratio of 30.35 and a beta of 1.03.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 15th were given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.7%. Saul Centers’s payout ratio is 203.45%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saul Centers

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Saul Centers by 853.2% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 734 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 657 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the second quarter valued at $27,000. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Saul Centers by 105.3% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 848 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the 4th quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Saul Centers by 450.6% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,795 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,469 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Saul Centers currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

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.