Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.12 EPS

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) posted its earnings results on Friday. The real estate investment trust reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.27 by ($0.12), Zacks reports. Saul Centers had a net margin of 13.83% and a return on equity of 12.75%. The company had revenue of $71.65 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $73.15 million.

Saul Centers Stock Down 0.8%

BFS traded down $0.29 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $33.86. 226,605 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 67,891. The firm has a market cap of $826.40 million, a P/E ratio of 29.19 and a beta of 1.03. Saul Centers has a 12-month low of $29.16 and a 12-month high of $37.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.29. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $32.71 and a 200 day moving average of $31.88.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th were issued a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.0%. Saul Centers’s payout ratio is 203.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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, Saul Centers presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saul Centers

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BFS. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Saul Centers by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 13,027 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $411,000 after buying an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 475 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Saul Centers by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 14,860 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $469,000 after acquiring an additional 607 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of Saul Centers by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 13,191 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $416,000 after acquiring an additional 689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in Saul Centers by 2.4% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 33,637 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,072,000 after purchasing an additional 795 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

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.