Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday.

Separately, B. Riley upped their price target on shares of Saul Centers from $43.50 to $45.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd.

Saul Centers Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of BFS traded up $0.84 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $41.83. 49,968 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 53,112. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.50 and a beta of 1.11. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $40.46 and its 200-day moving average is $38.57. Saul Centers has a 1 year low of $34.49 and a 1 year high of $42.19.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 15th were paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 15th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.64%. Saul Centers’s payout ratio is presently 132.59%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saul Centers

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in Saul Centers by 10.2% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 228,474 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $8,401,000 after buying an additional 21,100 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Saul Centers by 2.6% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 209,840 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $7,715,000 after buying an additional 5,330 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in Saul Centers in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,272,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Saul Centers by 115.0% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 59,675 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,194,000 after buying an additional 31,919 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its position in Saul Centers by 17.1% in the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 43,083 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,808,000 after buying an additional 6,301 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

About Saul Centers

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.