Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Holdings Reduced by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS - Free Report) by 1.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 669,115 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 7,955 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 2.76% of Saul Centers worth $24,135,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Citadel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Saul Centers by 84.6% during the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 38,421 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,491,000 after purchasing an additional 17,613 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Saul Centers by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 114,670 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $4,449,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Saul Centers during the 4th quarter worth $437,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the 4th quarter worth about $208,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 109,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $4,229,000 after purchasing an additional 4,547 shares in the last quarter. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO B Francis Saul II bought 2,821 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $33.22 per share, for a total transaction of $93,713.62. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 217,397 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,221,928.34. The trade was a 1.31% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have bought a total of 10,210 shares of company stock worth $341,786 in the last quarter. 56.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Saul Centers Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE:BFS traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $35.01. The stock had a trading volume of 50,196 shares, compared to its average volume of 51,416. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $34.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $35.24. Saul Centers, Inc. has a 1-year low of $31.25 and a 1-year high of $42.39. The company has a market capitalization of $847.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.82 and a beta of 1.08. 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 quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.71 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $69.76 million. Saul Centers had a net margin of 17.09% and a return on equity of 14.69%. Equities analysts anticipate that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 EPS for the current year.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 15th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.74%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 15th. Saul Centers's dividend payout ratio is presently 160.54%.

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.