Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Shares Sold by GSA Capital Partners LLP

Key Points

• GSA Capital Partners LLP has decreased its holdings in Saul Centers, Inc. by 33.3%, owning 25,066 shares worth approximately $904,000 as of the latest SEC filing.
• CEO B. Francis Saul II purchased 7,179 shares of his company’s stock, increasing his ownership by 3.46% to a total of 214,576 shares valued at about $7.21 million.
• Saul Centers recently reported earnings of $0.71 per share, missing analyst expectations by $0.02, while announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.59 and a dividend yield of 7.3%.

GSA Capital Partners LLP trimmed its stake in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS - Free Report) by 33.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,066 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 12,516 shares during the quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP owned approximately 0.10% of Saul Centers worth $904,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BFS. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its holdings in Saul Centers by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 681,730 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $26,451,000 after acquiring an additional 16,407 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in Saul Centers by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 279,674 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $10,851,000 after buying an additional 16,800 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 140,411 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $5,448,000 after purchasing an additional 29,951 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 114,670 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $4,449,000 after purchasing an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc increased its position in shares of Saul Centers by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 88,963 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,452,000 after acquiring an additional 3,631 shares during the last quarter. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Saul Centers Stock Performance

Shares of Saul Centers stock traded down $0.45 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $31.77. The company had a trading volume of 81,230 shares, compared to its average volume of 56,565. The firm has a market cap of $768.83 million, a PE ratio of 21.61 and a beta of 1.11. Saul Centers, Inc. has a one year low of $31.25 and a one year high of $42.39. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.74. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $70.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $69.76 million. Saul Centers had a return on equity of 14.69% and a net margin of 17.09%. On average, analysts anticipate that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th were issued a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 15th. Saul Centers's payout ratio is currently 160.54%.

Insider Transactions at Saul Centers

In other Saul Centers news, CEO B Francis Saul II purchased 7,179 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.59 per share, with a total value of $241,142.61. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 214,576 shares in the company, valued at $7,207,607.84. This trade represents a 3.46% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have acquired 10,210 shares of company stock valued at $341,786 over the last 90 days. 56.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Saul Centers

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.