Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Sets New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday. The stock traded as low as $28.76 and last traded at $28.7850, with a volume of 67,473 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.50.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Saul Centers from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating. Based on data from MarketBeat, Saul Centers has an average rating of “Hold”.

Saul Centers Trading Down 2.6%

The company has a market capitalization of $710.49 million, a P/E ratio of 29.64 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $31.50 and a 200-day moving average of $33.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.64.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $72.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $78.98 million. Saul Centers had a net margin of 11.54% and a return on equity of 11.97%.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.2%. Saul Centers’s payout ratio is 243.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Saul Centers by 82.9% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,412 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 640 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in shares of Saul Centers by 53.5% in the second quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,463 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Saul Centers by 1,011.6% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,101 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 1,912 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers in the first quarter worth about $70,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 11.6% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,036 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $151,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

Saul Centers Company Profile

Saul Centers, Inc is a self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, operates and manages income-producing commercial real estate. The company focuses primarily on shopping centers, including grocery-anchored and neighborhood retail properties, as well as mixed-use developments that combine retail, residential and office space.

Founded in 1993, Saul Centers has built a portfolio concentrated in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area and surrounding Mid-Atlantic markets, including Maryland and Virginia.