Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Share Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)’s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $31.93 and traded as high as $32.57. Saul Centers shares last traded at $32.00, with a volume of 80,517 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Saul Centers currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Saul Centers Trading Down 0.2%

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 $778.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.48 and a beta of 1.03. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.89.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.09. Saul Centers had a net margin of 13.83% and a return on equity of 12.75%. The business had revenue of $72.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.74 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be issued a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 15th. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 203.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Saul Centers

In other news, COO David Todd Pearson acquired 3,348 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $29.86 per share, for a total transaction of $99,971.28. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer directly owned 50,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,509,930.62. This represents a 7.09% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP John Collich bought 2,000 shares of Saul Centers stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $29.99 per share, for a total transaction of $59,980.00. Following the acquisition, 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 SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have bought a total of 6,548 shares of company stock valued at $184,769 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 56.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saul Centers

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BFS. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Saul Centers by 48.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,092 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Saul Centers by 1.2% during the second quarter. Beacon Investment Advisors LLC now owns 31,234 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,065,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its stake in Saul Centers by 105.3% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 848 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of Saul Centers by 7.6% in the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,742 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 10.3% in the 3rd quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,450 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $171,000 after acquiring an additional 508 shares during the period. 49.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.