Short Interest in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Grows By 21.7%

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS – Get Rating) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 238,100 shares, a growth of 21.7% from the May 15th total of 195,600 shares. Currently, 1.8% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 46,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.1 days.

In other Saul Centers news, CEO B Francis Saul II acquired 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $48.18 per share, for a total transaction of $60,225.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 79,352 shares in the company, valued at $3,823,179.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John E. Chapoton sold 1,650 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.00, for a total transaction of $79,200.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 51.50% of the company’s stock.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Widmann Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Saul Centers during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Marshall Wace North America L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the first quarter worth $47,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Saul Centers by 25.5% in the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,114 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $111,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in Saul Centers by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 3,635 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $193,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. 51.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Capital One Financial reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research report on Sunday, March 13th. B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research report on Wednesday, March 9th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Saul Centers in a research note on Thursday, March 31st. They set a “buy” rating on the stock.

Shares of Saul Centers stock opened at $42.97 on Friday. Saul Centers has a 1-year low of $41.73 and a 1-year high of $56.22. The company has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 25.28 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.73. The business has a 50-day moving average of $49.35 and a 200-day moving average of $49.77.

About Saul Centers (Get Rating)

Saul Centers, Inc is a self-managed, self-administered equity REIT headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, which currently operates and manages a real estate portfolio of 60 properties which includes (a) 50 community and neighborhood shopping centers and seven mixed-use properties with approximately 9.8 million square feet of leasable area and (b) three land and development properties.

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