Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

Shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday. Approximately 125,992 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 46% from the previous session’s volume of 86,379 shares. The stock last traded at $30.11 and had previously closed at $29.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a report on Friday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold”.

Saul Centers Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $740.03 million, a P/E ratio of 30.87 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $32.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.64, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.62.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $72.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $78.98 million. Saul Centers had a return on equity of 11.97% and a net margin of 11.54%.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.9%. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 243.30%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saul Centers

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BFS. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Saul Centers by 9.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 570,914 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $21,346,000 after purchasing an additional 51,504 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Saul Centers during the second quarter worth about $425,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers during the second quarter worth approximately $271,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 1,758.0% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 19,063 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $713,000 after acquiring an additional 18,037 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Saul Centers in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $556,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

Saul Centers Company Profile

Saul Centers, Inc is a self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, operates and manages income-producing commercial real estate. The company focuses primarily on shopping centers, including grocery-anchored and neighborhood retail properties, as well as mixed-use developments that combine retail, residential and office space.

Founded in 1993, Saul Centers has built a portfolio concentrated in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area and surrounding Mid-Atlantic markets, including Maryland and Virginia.