21,944 Shares in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Purchased by Exchange Traded Concepts LLC

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 21,944 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $792,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Saul Centers at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BFS. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Saul Centers by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,418 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Saul Centers by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 8,934 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $347,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management grew its holdings in Saul Centers by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 17,121 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $664,000 after buying an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Saul Centers by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 22,029 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $855,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the period. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 7,113 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 449 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 49.99% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded Saul Centers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th.

Saul Centers Stock Performance

NYSE:BFS traded down $0.32 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $34.93. The stock had a trading volume of 35,596 shares, compared to its average volume of 50,031. The stock has a market capitalization of $845.32 million, a P/E ratio of 23.76 and a beta of 1.09. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $33.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $35.68. Saul Centers, Inc. has a 1-year low of $31.25 and a 1-year high of $42.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.04, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by ($0.02). Saul Centers had a net margin of 17.09% and a return on equity of 14.69%. The business had revenue of $70.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $69.76 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.76%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 15th. Saul Centers's payout ratio is currently 160.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Saul Centers

In other news, CEO B Francis Saul II acquired 2,821 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $33.22 per share, with a total value of $93,713.62. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 217,397 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,221,928.34. This trade represents a 1.31% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders purchased a total of 10,210 shares of company stock valued at $341,786 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 56.57% of the company's stock.

Saul Centers Profile

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.