Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Stock Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)’s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $33.65 and traded as high as $37.89. Saul Centers shares last traded at $37.6950, with a volume of 398,509 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold”.

Saul Centers Stock Up 1.9%

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $33.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.54, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 1.71. The company has a market cap of $925.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.56 and a beta of 0.92.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $74.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.11 million. Saul Centers had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 12.44%.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be paid a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio is currently 222.64%.

Insider Activity at Saul Centers

In related news, COO David Todd Pearson bought 2,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $34.74 per share, with a total value of $90,324.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 79,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,755,611.54. This represents a 3.39% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 51.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,444 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 13,027 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 420 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Saul Centers by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,742 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $230,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in Saul Centers by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 14,860 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $469,000 after acquiring an additional 607 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in Saul Centers by 82.9% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,412 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 640 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.