Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy” Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Thursday.

Saul Centers Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of BFS stock opened at $36.88 on Thursday. Saul Centers has a fifty-two week low of $34.98 and a fifty-two week high of $42.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.21. The company has a market cap of $891.43 million, a P/E ratio of 20.04 and a beta of 1.11.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th were paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.40%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio is presently 128.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saul Centers

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BFS. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 19,616 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $823,000 after buying an additional 1,627 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Saul Centers by 149.6% in the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 40,512 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,700,000 after acquiring an additional 24,281 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 6,301 shares during the period. Sargent Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 315.0% during the third quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 25,001 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,049,000 after acquiring an additional 18,976 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Saul Centers by 21.5% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 14,422 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $605,000 after purchasing an additional 2,556 shares during the period. 49.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.