Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Stock Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $33.96 and traded as high as $37.78. Saul Centers shares last traded at $36.6260, with a volume of 139,697 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Saul Centers Trading Down 0.2%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $898.80 million, a PE ratio of 34.55 and a beta of 0.90. The business’s 50-day moving average is $35.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.96.

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

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 222.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO David Todd Pearson acquired 2,600 shares of Saul Centers stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was bought at an average price of $34.74 per share, for a total transaction of $90,324.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief operating officer owned 79,321 shares in the company, valued at $2,755,611.54. This represents a 3.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 51.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Saul Centers

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 118.6% during 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 during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Saul Centers by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,966,888 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $62,016,000 after acquiring an additional 56,758 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Saul Centers during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $614,000. Denali Advisors LLC raised its stake in Saul Centers by 106.4% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 48,400 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,526,000 after acquiring an additional 24,952 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its position in Saul Centers by 227.8% during the 1st quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 14,043 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $458,000 after acquiring an additional 9,759 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.