Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Short Interest Update

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFSGet Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 86,600 shares, a decline of 8.4% from the October 15th total of 94,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 49,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days. Approximately 0.7% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BFS. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Saul Centers by 12.2% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,283 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $434,000 after buying an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of Saul Centers by 35.2% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 14,035 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 3,651 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,293,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its position in shares of Saul Centers by 2.4% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 14,891 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $573,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of Saul Centers by 4.6% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 33,813 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,302,000 after purchasing an additional 1,477 shares during the last quarter. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on BFS shares. B. Riley boosted their price target on shares of Saul Centers from $43.50 to $45.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Saul Centers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

View Our Latest Report on BFS

Saul Centers Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BFS traded down $0.05 on Monday, reaching $39.38. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 31,265 shares, compared to its average volume of 52,877. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $40.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.75. Saul Centers has a 52-week low of $34.87 and a 52-week high of $42.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $951.81 million, a P/E ratio of 21.40 and a beta of 1.11.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 15th were issued a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 15th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.99%. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio is currently 128.26%.

Saul Centers Company Profile

(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.

Further Reading

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