Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Short Interest Up 5.8% in August

by · The Markets Daily

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 128,600 shares, an increase of 5.8% from the August 15th total of 121,500 shares. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 48,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, B. Riley upped their price target on shares of Saul Centers from $43.50 to $45.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on BFS

Saul Centers Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of BFS stock traded down $0.44 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $40.27. 56,681 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 52,122. The stock has a market cap of $965.76 million, a P/E ratio of 23.28 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $39.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.74. Saul Centers has a 52-week low of $33.56 and a 52-week high of $41.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.40, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.77 by ($0.29). Saul Centers had a net margin of 20.49% and a return on equity of 16.61%. The company had revenue of $66.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $65.54 million. Equities analysts predict that Saul Centers will post 3.12 EPS for the current year.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, July 15th were issued a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 15th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.86%. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 136.42%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saul Centers

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BFS. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Saul Centers in the 1st quarter valued at $1,293,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Saul Centers in the 2nd quarter valued at $597,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in Saul Centers by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 10,427 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $409,000 after purchasing an additional 1,333 shares in the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd lifted its holdings in Saul Centers by 34.7% in the 4th quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 9,132 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $359,000 after purchasing an additional 2,355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 15,010 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $589,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

About Saul Centers

(Get Free Report)

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.

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