Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.13 EPS

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.13, FiscalAI reports. Saul Centers had a return on equity of 12.34% and a net margin of 12.43%.The company had revenue of $74.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.11 million.

Saul Centers Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of BFS stock traded up $0.92 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $35.12. 51,473 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 57,387. The stock has a market cap of $860.39 million, a PE ratio of 33.13 and a beta of 0.93. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $33.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.48. Saul Centers has a 12 month low of $29.16 and a 12 month high of $35.75.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th were paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.7%. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 222.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, Saul Centers has an average rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Trading of Saul Centers

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Saul Centers during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the first quarter valued at about $76,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the third quarter valued at about $82,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the first quarter worth about $118,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the fourth quarter worth about $135,000. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.