Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Investment Research

Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS – Get Rating) from a buy rating to a sell rating in a report published on Friday morning, Zacks.com reports.

According to Zacks, “SAUL CENTERS, INC. is a real estate investment trust which is engaged in the management and development of the shopping center business of the Saul Organization. “

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. StockNews.com started coverage on Saul Centers in a research report on Thursday, March 31st. They issued a buy rating on the stock. B. Riley restated a buy rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research report on Wednesday, March 9th. Finally, Capital One Financial restated an equal weight rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research report on Sunday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $55.00.

NYSE BFS traded down $0.23 during trading on Friday, hitting $47.90. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 50,745 shares, compared to its average volume of 43,146. The company has a quick ratio of 2.87, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $51.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $50.45. The firm has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.18 and a beta of 1.07. Saul Centers has a 52 week low of $41.34 and a 52 week high of $56.22.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 29th. Investors of record on Friday, April 15th were paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 13th. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio is 134.12%.

In other news, Director H. Gregory Platts sold 1,435 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.50, for a total value of $66,727.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director George Patrick Clancy, Jr. sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.97, for a total transaction of $114,925.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,585 shares of company stock worth $260,853. 51.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BFS. Widmann Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Saul Centers during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Allworth Financial LP bought a new position in Saul Centers in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Marshall Wace North America L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the 1st quarter valued at $47,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Saul Centers by 16.4% during the third quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 1,956 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its position in Saul Centers by 25.5% during the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,114 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the period. 51.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Saul Centers (Get Rating)

Saul Centers, Inc is a self-managed, self-administered equity REIT headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, which currently operates and manages a real estate portfolio of 60 properties which includes (a) 50 community and neighborhood shopping centers and seven mixed-use properties with approximately 9.8 million square feet of leasable area and (b) three land and development properties.

Featured Articles