Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)’s stock price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $31.94 and traded as high as $34.50. Saul Centers shares last traded at $34.3950, with a volume of 52,021 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Saul Centers Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $842.68 million, a PE ratio of 31.56 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.48, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $33.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.94.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by ($0.12). Saul Centers had a net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 12.48%. The business had revenue of $71.65 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $73.15 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake 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 valued at $1,411,000 after acquiring an additional 929 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new position in Saul Centers during the 1st quarter worth approximately $118,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new position in Saul Centers in the 1st quarter worth approximately $392,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake 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 period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in Saul Centers by 152.5% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 22,477 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $811,000 after purchasing an additional 13,576 shares during the last quarter. 49.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.