Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Hits New 1-Year Low - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) recently reached a new 52-week low of $29.83 during trading, with shares closing at $30.13.
• The company reported a missed earnings estimate in its latest quarterly results, posting $0.73 EPS against the expected $0.75.
• Saul Centers announced a quarterly dividend of $0.59, representing a 7.9% yield, with a payout ratio of 178.79%.

Shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $29.83 and last traded at $30.13, with a volume of 68194 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.96.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold".

Saul Centers Stock Performance

The business's fifty day moving average price is $32.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.16, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $731.10 million, a PE ratio of 22.72 and a beta of 1.16.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.75 by ($0.02). Saul Centers had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 13.79%. The firm had revenue of $69.43 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $71.39 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 EPS for the current year.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 15th will be paid a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.9%. Saul Centers's payout ratio is presently 178.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saul Centers

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 36.0% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 119,824 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $4,322,000 after purchasing an additional 31,722 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Saul Centers in the first quarter valued at $2,597,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in Saul Centers during the 1st quarter worth $1,253,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its position in shares of Saul Centers by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 13,162 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $447,000 after acquiring an additional 1,410 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the 1st quarter worth about $206,000. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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