BNP Paribas Financial Markets Lowers Holdings in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets trimmed its stake in shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) by 19.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,179 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 5,272 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.09% of Saul Centers worth $822,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in Saul Centers by 1,249.5% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,336 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 1,237 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Saul Centers by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,418 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Saul Centers in the 4th quarter valued at about $105,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Saul Centers in the 4th quarter worth about $179,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new position in Saul Centers in the 4th quarter worth about $215,000. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO B Francis Saul II acquired 7,179 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $33.59 per share, for a total transaction of $241,142.61. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 214,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,207,607.84. This trade represents a 3.46% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 56.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Saul Centers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th.

Saul Centers Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BFS opened at $32.91 on Thursday. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $33.90 and a 200 day moving average of $36.74. The firm has a market cap of $796.43 million, a PE ratio of 17.89 and a beta of 1.08. Saul Centers, Inc. has a one year low of $31.25 and a one year high of $42.39.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.73 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $70.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $69.76 million. Saul Centers had a net margin of 20.84% and a return on equity of 17.16%. As a group, research analysts predict that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th were issued a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.17%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 15th. Saul Centers’s payout ratio is 160.54%.

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.