Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Cut 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 note published on Friday morning.

Separately, B. Riley raised their target price on shares of Saul Centers from $43.50 to $45.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd.

Saul Centers Stock Up 2.0 %

BFS opened at $41.83 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $40.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.60. Saul Centers has a 1-year low of $34.49 and a 1-year high of $42.19. The stock has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a PE ratio of 22.73 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.40.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 15th were paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.64%. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 128.26%.

Institutional Trading of Saul Centers

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 12.2% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,283 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $434,000 after buying an additional 1,230 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the 1st quarter worth approximately $224,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of Saul Centers by 35.2% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 14,035 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 3,651 shares in the last quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the first quarter worth approximately $297,000. Finally, Centersquare Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Saul Centers by 72.0% in the first quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 13,930 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $507,000 after buying an additional 5,830 shares in the last quarter. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.