Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday. The stock traded as low as $28.27 and last traded at $29.1560, with a volume of 8,090 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $28.81.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Saul Centers Trading Up 2.4%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $30.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $729.37 million, a PE ratio of 30.64 and a beta of 0.90.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $78.42 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $77.65 million. Saul Centers had a return on equity of 11.97% and a net margin of 11.54%.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 15th were issued a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 15th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.0%. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio is currently 243.30%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saul Centers

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Saul Centers by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 7,052 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $212,000 after acquiring an additional 519 shares during the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Saul Centers by 14.1% in the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 7,688 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $231,000 after acquiring an additional 950 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the third quarter valued at about $51,000. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 17.2% during the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 21,225 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $638,000 after acquiring an additional 3,116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 3,698.6% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,713 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $412,000 after purchasing an additional 13,352 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

About Saul Centers

Saul Centers, Inc (NYSE: BFS) is a self-managed real estate investment trust that owns, operates, manages and develops income-producing commercial real estate. The company’s portfolio is primarily composed of neighborhood and community shopping centers, along with mixed-use properties that combine retail, office and other commercial space.

Saul Centers’ shopping centers are generally anchored by grocery stores, supermarkets, drugstores and other service-oriented retailers. Its properties are designed to serve local communities and typically include a range of tenants such as restaurants, personal-service businesses and specialty retailers.

Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Saul Centers focuses primarily on the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly the Washington, DC, metropolitan area and surrounding parts of Maryland and Virginia.