Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Stock Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $32.00 and traded as high as $32.20. Saul Centers shares last traded at $32.1560, with a volume of 123,608 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Saul Centers currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Saul Centers Trading Up 1.8%

The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $784.93 million, a PE ratio of 27.72 and a beta of 1.03. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $30.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $32.00.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $72.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $70.74 million. Saul Centers had a return on equity of 12.75% and a net margin of 13.83%. Sell-side analysts expect that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th will be issued a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.3%. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 203.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Saul Centers news, VP John Collich purchased 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $29.99 per share, for a total transaction of $59,980.00. Following the purchase, the vice president directly owned 49,260 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,477,307.40. The trade was a 4.23% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO David Todd Pearson acquired 3,348 shares of Saul Centers stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $29.86 per share, with a total value of $99,971.28. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief operating officer directly owned 50,567 shares in the company, valued at $1,509,930.62. This represents a 7.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 6,548 shares of company stock valued at $184,769. 56.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Saul Centers

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BFS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Saul Centers by 118.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 125,345 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,995,000 after buying an additional 68,018 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its position in shares of Saul Centers by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 81,290 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,591,000 after buying an additional 1,087 shares in the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $509,000. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Saul Centers by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 29,672 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $946,000 after acquiring an additional 1,167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in Saul Centers by 543.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 189,830 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,050,000 after acquiring an additional 160,335 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

About Saul Centers

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.