Mackenzie Financial Corp Buys 16,117 Shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)

Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its stake in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) by 300.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,473 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,117 shares during the quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp owned about 0.09% of Saul Centers worth $775,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BFS. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers in the 4th quarter worth about $105,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Saul Centers during the 4th quarter valued at about $179,000. First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in Saul Centers during the 4th quarter valued at about $215,000. Gallacher Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Saul Centers during the 1st quarter valued at about $201,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Saul Centers during the 1st quarter valued at about $206,000. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Saul Centers Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BFS opened at $32.16 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $33.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.04. The company has a market cap of $778.27 million, a PE ratio of 21.88 and a beta of 1.11. Saul Centers, Inc. has a 52-week low of $31.25 and a 52-week high of $42.39.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $70.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $69.76 million. Saul Centers had a net margin of 17.09% and a return on equity of 14.69%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 EPS for the current year.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 15th were issued a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.3%. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 160.54%.

Insider Activity

In other Saul Centers news, CEO B Francis Saul II acquired 7,179 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $33.59 per share, with a total value of $241,142.61. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 214,576 shares in the company, valued at $7,207,607.84. This represents a 3.46% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have purchased a total of 10,210 shares of company stock valued at $341,786 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 56.57% of the company’s stock.

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.