Denali Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Saul Centers, Inc. $BFS

Denali Advisors LLC boosted its position in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) by 106.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,400 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,952 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC owned about 0.20% of Saul Centers worth $1,526,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BFS. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its position in shares of Saul Centers by 66,361.3% during the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 1,341,190 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $42,744,000 after acquiring an additional 1,339,172 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Saul Centers by 543.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 189,830 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,050,000 after purchasing an additional 160,335 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Saul Centers by 118.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 125,345 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,995,000 after acquiring an additional 68,018 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Saul Centers by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,966,888 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $62,016,000 after acquiring an additional 56,758 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Saul Centers by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 159,400 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,080,000 after acquiring an additional 38,935 shares during the period. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Saul Centers Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE BFS opened at $35.12 on Friday. Saul Centers, Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.16 and a 52-week high of $35.75. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $33.69 and a 200-day moving average of $32.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $860.39 million, a PE 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.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.13. Saul Centers had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The company had revenue of $74.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.11 million.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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