Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 364,923 shares, a drop of 18.5% from the January 15th total of 447,998 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 70,238 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.2 days. Currently, 3.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Currently, 3.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 70,238 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.2 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BFS. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Saul Centers by 3.0% during 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 purchasing an additional 56,758 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its stake 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. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 9.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 322,082 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $10,997,000 after buying an additional 28,282 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 200,857 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,333,000 after buying an additional 3,184 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 160,335 shares during the period. 49.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Saul Centers Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:BFS traded up $0.14 on Monday, reaching $34.49. 47,531 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 65,897. The firm has a market capitalization of $841.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.73 and a beta of 1.03. The company’s 50 day moving average is $32.19 and its 200-day moving average is $31.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.29. Saul Centers has a 1-year low of $29.16 and a 1-year high of $37.88.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 15th were given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.8%. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio is 203.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.