Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday.

Separately, B. Riley started coverage on Saul Centers in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a buy rating and a $43.50 price target for the company.

Saul Centers Stock Down 3.1 %

BFS stock opened at $35.98 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.34, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Saul Centers has a 12 month low of $32.13 and a 12 month high of $41.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $862.80 million, a PE ratio of 20.80 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $36.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.42.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th were paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 12th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.56%. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio is currently 136.42%.

Insider Transactions at Saul Centers

In other news, CEO B Francis Saul II bought 8,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $37.80 per share, for a total transaction of $325,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 146,706 shares in the company, valued at $5,545,486.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Saul Centers news, COO David Todd Pearson purchased 2,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was bought at an average price of $36.52 per share, for a total transaction of $83,996.00. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer now directly owns 6,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $226,570.08. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO B Francis Saul II acquired 8,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $37.80 per share, for a total transaction of $325,080.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 146,706 shares in the company, valued at $5,545,486.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 56.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saul Centers

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Saul Centers during the third quarter valued at about $2,768,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in Saul Centers by 29.5% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 54,931 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,937,000 after purchasing an additional 12,514 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its position in Saul Centers by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 19,984 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $805,000 after purchasing an additional 1,180 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in Saul Centers in the third quarter valued at approximately $99,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Saul Centers during the third quarter valued at approximately $239,000. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Saul Centers Company 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.