Russell Investments Group Ltd. Purchases 4,246 Shares of Saul Centers, Inc. $BFS

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) by 53.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,251 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,246 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.05% of Saul Centers worth $442,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Saul Centers by 15.1% in the 1st quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,374 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $194,000 after acquiring an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers in the 1st quarter worth approximately $201,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers in the 1st quarter worth approximately $206,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers in the 4th quarter worth approximately $208,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers in the 4th quarter worth approximately $215,000. Institutional investors own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

Saul Centers Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:BFS opened at $34.14 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.16, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $831.99 million, a P/E ratio of 25.87 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $33.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.19. Saul Centers, Inc. has a 52-week low of $31.25 and a 52-week high of $42.39.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.75 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $69.43 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $71.39 million. Saul Centers had a return on equity of 13.79% and a net margin of 15.51%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 15th were paid a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.9%. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio is presently 178.79%.

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.