Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

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 $31.90 and traded as high as $32.98. Saul Centers shares last traded at $32.6580, with a volume of 34,312 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Saul Centers Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.48, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $800.12 million, a PE ratio of 29.96 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $33.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.90.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by ($0.12). Saul Centers had a return on equity of 12.48% and a net margin of 12.94%.The company had revenue of $71.65 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $73.15 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 EPS for the current year.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.2%. Saul Centers’s payout ratio is 216.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saul Centers

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in Saul Centers by 66,361.3% in the third quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 1,341,190 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $42,744,000 after buying an additional 1,339,172 shares during the period. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Saul Centers by 196.1% during the second quarter. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC now owns 37,757 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,289,000 after buying an additional 25,007 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Saul Centers by 9.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 322,082 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $10,997,000 after acquiring an additional 28,282 shares in the last quarter. Crossingbridge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. Crossingbridge Advisors LLC now owns 30,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,023,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 3,314.0% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 58,038 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,981,000 after acquiring an additional 56,338 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

Saul Centers Company Profile

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.