Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Short Interest Update

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 105,800 shares, an increase of 27.8% from the February 28th total of 82,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 49,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Saul Centers Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:BFS opened at $36.32 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Saul Centers has a one year low of $34.98 and a one year high of $42.39. The company has a market cap of $878.98 million, a PE ratio of 19.74 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $36.46 and a 200-day moving average of $38.56.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.31. Saul Centers had a return on equity of 17.16% and a net margin of 20.84%. The firm had revenue of $67.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.94 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Saul Centers will post 3.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.50%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 144.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Saul Centers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in Saul Centers during the third quarter worth about $202,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 26,451 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,110,000 after purchasing an additional 3,434 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 30.9% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 21,515 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $903,000 after purchasing an additional 5,073 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P lifted its stake in Saul Centers by 10.9% in the third quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 16,941 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $711,000 after purchasing an additional 1,664 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. grew its holdings in Saul Centers by 31.2% during the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 3,648 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $153,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares during the period. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Saul Centers Company Profile

Saul Centers is a self-managed, self-administered equity REIT headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Saul Centers currently operates and manages a real estate portfolio comprised of 61 properties that includes (a) 57 community and neighborhood Shopping Centers and Mixed-Use properties with approximately 9.8 million square feet of leasable area and (b) four land and development properties.