Saul Centers, Inc. Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.59 (NYSE:BFS)

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be given a dividend of 0.59 per share by the real estate investment trust on Friday, January 30th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th.

Saul Centers has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.0%per year over the last three years. Saul Centers has a dividend payout ratio of 181.5% indicating that the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Equities research analysts expect Saul Centers to earn $2.92 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.36 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 80.8%.

Saul Centers Stock Down 2.3%

Saul Centers stock opened at $29.89 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $729.49 million, a P/E ratio of 25.76 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.29, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 1.51. Saul Centers has a fifty-two week low of $29.16 and a fifty-two week high of $41.01. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.45.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.09. Saul Centers had a return on equity of 12.75% and a net margin of 13.83%.The firm had revenue of $72.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.74 million. Equities research analysts expect that Saul Centers will post 3.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP John Collich purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $29.99 per share, for a total transaction of $59,980.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president directly owned 49,260 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,477,307.40. This trade represents a 4.23% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO David Todd Pearson purchased 3,348 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $29.86 per share, with a total value of $99,971.28. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief operating officer owned 50,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,509,930.62. This trade represents a 7.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired a total of 6,548 shares of company stock valued at $184,769 over the last ninety days. 56.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saul Centers

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 66,361.3% in the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 1,341,190 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $42,744,000 after acquiring an additional 1,339,172 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Saul Centers by 543.6% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Saul Centers during the first quarter worth about $2,597,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Saul Centers by 118.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 125,345 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,995,000 after purchasing an additional 68,018 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Saul Centers by 3,314.0% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 58,038 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,981,000 after purchasing an additional 56,338 shares in the last quarter. 49.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.