Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Stock Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)’s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $33.40 and traded as high as $36.19. Saul Centers shares last traded at $36.01, with a volume of 165,813 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Saul Centers has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Saul Centers Trading Down 0.1%

The stock has a market capitalization of $883.69 million, a PE ratio of 33.97 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $34.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.54.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $74.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.11 million. Saul Centers had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 12.44%.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be given a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. Saul Centers’s payout ratio is presently 222.64%.

Insider Activity at Saul Centers

In other Saul Centers news, COO David Todd Pearson acquired 2,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $34.74 per share, with a total value of $90,324.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief operating officer directly owned 79,321 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,755,611.54. The trade was a 3.39% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 51.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saul Centers

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Saul Centers by 118.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 68,018 shares in the last quarter. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Saul Centers by 55.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC now owns 58,560 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,866,000 after acquiring an additional 20,803 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Saul Centers in the 4th quarter worth $614,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted 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 purchasing an additional 56,758 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 106.4% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 48,400 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,526,000 after purchasing an additional 24,952 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

About Saul Centers

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.