Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Announces Earnings Results

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The real estate investment trust reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.10, FiscalAI reports. Saul Centers had a return on equity of 12.44% and a net margin of 12.43%.The firm had revenue of $72.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $78.98 million.

Saul Centers Stock Performance

Saul Centers stock traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $33.75. 126,797 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 83,899. Saul Centers has a 12-month low of $29.16 and a 12-month high of $38.42. 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 $828.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.84 and a beta of 0.91. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $36.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.53.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th were paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.0%. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio is currently 222.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research report on Friday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Saul Centers currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Insider Activity at Saul Centers

In other Saul Centers news, COO David Todd Pearson bought 2,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $34.74 per share, for a total transaction of $90,324.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief operating officer owned 79,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,755,611.54. This represents a 3.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 51.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saul Centers

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lifted its position in Saul Centers by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 740,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $23,332,000 after acquiring an additional 50,767 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 200,857 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $6,333,000 after purchasing an additional 3,184 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 543.6% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 189,830 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,050,000 after purchasing an additional 160,335 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 166,070 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,236,000 after purchasing an additional 6,670 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc lifted its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 20.8% during the third quarter. Man Group plc now owns 142,556 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,543,000 after purchasing an additional 24,500 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

Saul Centers Company Profile

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.