Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $38.42 and last traded at $37.7880, with a volume of 110102 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $37.43.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Saul Centers Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $927.32 million, a P/E ratio of 35.65 and a beta of 0.92. 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’s 50-day moving average price is $34.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $33.17.

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

Insider Activity at Saul Centers

In other news, COO David Todd Pearson purchased 2,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were bought at an average price of $34.74 per share, with a total value of $90,324.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 79,321 shares in the company, valued at $2,755,611.54. This trade represents a 3.39% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 51.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saul Centers

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Saul Centers by 48.8% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,092 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Saul Centers by 35.8% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,444 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Saul Centers by 82.9% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,412 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Institutional investors own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

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.