Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $33.65 and traded as high as $37.89. Saul Centers shares last traded at $37.6950, with a volume of 398,509 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a report on Monday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Saul Centers Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $35.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $33.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.54, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 1.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $925.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.56 and a beta of 0.92.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $74.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $75.11 million. Saul Centers had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 12.44%.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.3%. Saul Centers’s payout ratio is currently 222.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO David Todd Pearson acquired 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $34.74 per share, for a total transaction of $90,324.00. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer directly owned 79,321 shares in the company, valued at $2,755,611.54. This represents a 3.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 51.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saul Centers

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 39,117 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,411,000 after acquiring an additional 929 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Saul Centers during the 1st quarter valued at about $118,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in Saul Centers during the 1st quarter valued at about $392,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Saul Centers by 36.0% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 119,824 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,322,000 after purchasing an additional 31,722 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in Saul Centers by 152.5% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 22,477 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $811,000 after purchasing an additional 13,576 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

Saul Centers Company Profile

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.