Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Holdings Increased by LSV Asset Management

LSV Asset Management grew its holdings in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS - Free Report) by 1,932.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 56,900 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 54,100 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management owned about 0.24% of Saul Centers worth $2,234,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in Saul Centers by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 10,384 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $408,000 after acquiring an additional 392 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the 4th quarter valued at about $255,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Saul Centers by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 19,984 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $805,000 after buying an additional 1,180 shares during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. acquired a new position in Saul Centers during the third quarter worth approximately $2,768,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Saul Centers in the third quarter valued at approximately $239,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on BFS shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Saul Centers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. B. Riley began coverage on shares of Saul Centers in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $43.50 price objective on the stock.

Insider Activity at Saul Centers

In other news, Director James Page Lansdale sold 5,502 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.89, for a total transaction of $208,470.78. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,298 shares in the company, valued at $49,181.22. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Saul Centers news, Director James Page Lansdale sold 5,502 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, 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 SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO David Todd Pearson purchased 2,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $36.52 per share, for a total transaction of $83,996.00. Following the completion of 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. Insiders have bought a total of 11,700 shares of company stock worth $425,730 in the last three months. Insiders own 56.57% of the company's stock.

Saul Centers Stock Performance

BFS traded up $0.17 on Friday, hitting $36.89. 39,057 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 54,337. The company has a 50 day moving average of $37.02 and a 200-day moving average of $37.47. Saul Centers, Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.05 and a 12-month high of $41.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $884.62 million, a PE ratio of 21.25 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.28.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th were issued a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 12th. Saul Centers's dividend payout ratio is presently 136.42%.

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.