Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Share Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $31.91 and traded as high as $33.67. Saul Centers shares last traded at $33.2330, with a volume of 74,186 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Saul Centers Trading Down 0.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.48, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 1.90. The company has a market capitalization of $814.21 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.49 and a beta of 0.99. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $33.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.91.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.15 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 company had revenue of $71.65 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $73.15 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 EPS for the current year.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. Saul Centers’s payout ratio is currently 216.51%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saul Centers

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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 purchasing an additional 929 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Saul Centers during the 1st quarter worth $118,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Saul Centers during the 1st quarter worth $392,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Saul Centers by 36.0% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 119,824 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,322,000 after buying an additional 31,722 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew 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 acquiring an additional 13,576 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

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.