Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Here’s What Happened

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as low as $28.76 and last traded at $28.7850, with a volume of 67,473 shares traded. 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 research report on Thursday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating. According to data from MarketBeat, Saul Centers has an average rating of “Hold”.

Saul Centers Stock Down 0.4%

The firm has a market cap of $726.64 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.30 and a beta of 0.91. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $31.28 and its 200 day moving average is $33.84.

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

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.0%. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 243.30%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saul Centers

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Saul Centers by 82.9% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,412 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 510 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 1,011.6% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,101 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,912 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in Saul Centers during the first quarter worth $70,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $151,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the period. 49.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Saul Centers Company Profile

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.