Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $33.96 and traded as high as $37.78. Saul Centers shares last traded at $36.6260, with a volume of 139,697 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Saul Centers Price Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $35.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.54, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 1.71. The stock has a market cap of $880.72 million, a PE ratio of 33.86 and a beta of 0.90.

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

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO David Todd Pearson acquired 2,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was bought at an average price of $34.74 per share, with a total value of $90,324.00. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer owned 79,321 shares in the company, valued at $2,755,611.54. The trade was a 3.39% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 51.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saul Centers

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BFS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 118.6% in the 3rd 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. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position 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 during the period. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the fourth quarter valued at about $614,000. Denali Advisors LLC grew its position in 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 worth $1,526,000 after acquiring an additional 24,952 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 227.8% in the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 14,043 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $458,000 after purchasing an additional 9,759 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.