Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Downgraded by StockNews.com to "Hold"

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Friday.

Separately, B. Riley began coverage on Saul Centers in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $43.50 price objective for the company.

Saul Centers Price Performance

Shares of Saul Centers stock traded up $0.90 on Friday, reaching $36.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 53,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 55,072. The company has a market capitalization of $871.67 million, a P/E ratio of 21.01 and a beta of 1.08. Saul Centers has a 52-week low of $32.13 and a 52-week high of $41.04. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $37.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.34.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Saul Centers news, Director James Page Lansdale sold 5,502 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.89, for a total transaction of $208,470.78. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,298 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,181.22. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director James Page Lansdale sold 5,502 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.89, for a total value of $208,470.78. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,298 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $49,181.22. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO David Todd Pearson purchased 2,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $36.52 per share, for a total transaction of $83,996.00. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer now owns 6,204 shares in the company, valued at $226,570.08. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 56.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saul Centers

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BFS. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 208,306 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $10,977,000 after buying an additional 1,115 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in Saul Centers by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 21,772 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Saul Centers by 55.5% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 6,040 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 2,156 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in Saul Centers by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 34,867 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,837,000 after purchasing an additional 1,859 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its holdings in Saul Centers by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 11,237 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $592,000 after purchasing an additional 1,385 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.99% of the company's stock.

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.

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