Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Shares Acquired by Nuveen Asset Management LLC

Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS - Free Report) by 19.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 80,467 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 13,100 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.33% of Saul Centers worth $3,122,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in Saul Centers by 1,249.5% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,336 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Saul Centers by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,418 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the fourth quarter valued at $105,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the 4th quarter valued at $179,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new position in Saul Centers during the 4th quarter worth about $215,000. 49.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO B Francis Saul II acquired 2,821 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $33.22 per share, with a total value of $93,713.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 217,397 shares in the company, valued at $7,221,928.34. This represents a 1.31% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have purchased a total of 10,210 shares of company stock worth $341,786 in the last quarter. 56.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Saul Centers Stock Down 0.4%

BFS traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $34.17. 36,330 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 49,895. The firm has a market cap of $826.95 million, a P/E ratio of 18.57 and a beta of 1.08. Saul Centers, Inc. has a 12-month low of $31.25 and a 12-month high of $42.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $33.47 and a 200 day moving average of $36.28.

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 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.73 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $70.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $69.76 million. Saul Centers had a return on equity of 17.16% and a net margin of 20.84%. Analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were issued 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 6.91%. Saul Centers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 160.54%.

Saul Centers Company 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.