Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

StockNews.com cut shares of Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Friday.

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

Saul Centers Trading Up 2.0 %

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

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Saul Centers

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Saul Centers during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Whittier Trust Co. purchased a new position in Saul Centers during the second quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Saul Centers in the second quarter worth approximately $102,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in Saul Centers by 235.4% during the second quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,223 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $119,000 after buying an additional 2,262 shares during the period. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new stake in Saul Centers during the 1st quarter valued at $224,000. 49.99% of the stock is 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.