Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Share Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $31.67 and traded as high as $34.78. Saul Centers shares last traded at $34.3510, with a volume of 65,911 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold”.

Saul Centers Trading Down 0.8%

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.67. The company has a market cap of $838.51 million, a PE ratio of 29.61 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.29.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 15th were given a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 15th. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio is presently 203.45%.

Insider Transactions at Saul Centers

In other Saul Centers news, COO David Todd Pearson purchased 3,348 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $29.86 per share, for a total transaction of $99,971.28. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer owned 50,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,509,930.62. This trade represents a 7.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP John Collich bought 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $29.99 per share, for a total transaction of $59,980.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president owned 49,260 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,477,307.40. This represents a 4.23% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought a total of 6,098 shares of company stock valued at $175,386 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 50.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Saul Centers by 853.2% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 734 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 657 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Saul Centers during the second quarter worth $27,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 105.3% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 848 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the fourth quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 450.6% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,795 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,469 shares in the last quarter. 49.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Saul Centers

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.