Lazard Asset Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS - Free Report) by 59.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,871 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 38,068 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.11% of Saul Centers worth $1,002,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Saul Centers by 12.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Saul Centers by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 8,934 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management lifted its holdings in Saul Centers by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 17,121 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $664,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Saul Centers by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 22,029 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $855,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Saul Centers by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 7,113 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 449 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.99% of the company's stock.
Saul Centers Price Performance
Shares of Saul Centers stock traded up $0.05 during trading on Friday, hitting $32.63. 46,460 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 49,762. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61. The stock has a market cap of $789.68 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.73 and a beta of 1.08. The firm's fifty day moving average is $33.76 and its 200-day moving average is $36.58. Saul Centers, Inc. has a 52 week low of $31.25 and a 52 week high of $42.39.
Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.73 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $70.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $69.76 million. Saul Centers had a net margin of 20.84% and a return on equity of 17.16%. Research analysts expect that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Saul Centers Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th were given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.23%. Saul Centers's payout ratio is 160.54%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, CEO B Francis Saul II purchased 2,821 shares of Saul Centers stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $33.22 per share, for a total transaction of $93,713.62. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 217,397 shares in the company, valued at $7,221,928.34. The trade was a 1.31% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 56.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Separately, Wall Street Zen cut Saul Centers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on BFS
About Saul Centers
(
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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