Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Sets New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as $34.53 and last traded at $35.13, with a volume of 11463 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $35.68.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Saul Centers Stock Down 3.9 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $829.97 million, a PE ratio of 18.64 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $36.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.49.

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

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 144.79%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BFS. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its stake in Saul Centers by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 681,730 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,451,000 after purchasing an additional 16,407 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in Saul Centers by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 279,674 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $10,851,000 after buying an additional 16,800 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Saul Centers by 27.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 140,411 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,448,000 after buying an additional 29,951 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Saul Centers by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 114,670 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,449,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised 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 acquiring an additional 4,547 shares in the last quarter. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Saul Centers

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.