AlphaQuest LLC Sells 7,767 Shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)

AlphaQuest LLC reduced its position in shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) by 53.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,655 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 7,767 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Saul Centers were worth $258,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted 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 in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Saul Centers in the fourth quarter worth $437,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 1,249.5% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,336 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 109,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,229,000 after buying an additional 4,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers in the fourth quarter valued at about $501,000. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Saul Centers Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE:BFS opened at $36.13 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $874.38 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.64 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $36.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.97. Saul Centers, Inc. has a 52-week low of $34.98 and a 52-week high of $42.39.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $67.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.94 million. Saul Centers had a return on equity of 17.16% and a net margin of 20.84%. On average, analysts anticipate that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 EPS for the current year.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.53%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 144.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Saul Centers Profile

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.