Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Short Interest Up 27.8% in March

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) saw a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 105,800 shares, a growth of 27.8% from the February 28th total of 82,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 49,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days. Currently, 0.8% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Saul Centers Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BFS traded down $0.03 on Wednesday, hitting $36.32. 41,404 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 50,331. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61. Saul Centers has a 1-year low of $34.98 and a 1-year high of $42.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $36.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $878.98 million, a P/E ratio of 19.74 and a beta of 1.08.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $67.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.94 million. Saul Centers had a net margin of 20.84% and a return on equity of 17.16%. Sell-side analysts predict that Saul Centers will post 3.14 EPS for the current year.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.50%. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 144.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saul Centers

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of Saul Centers by 1,249.5% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,336 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 1,237 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,418 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Saul Centers during the 4th quarter valued at $105,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 31.2% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 3,648 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $153,000 after acquiring an additional 868 shares during the period. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the 4th quarter valued at $179,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Saul Centers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th.

About Saul Centers

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.