Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Sets New 52-Week Low - Here's Why

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $31.70 and last traded at $32.65, with a volume of 53440 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $32.59.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut Saul Centers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th.

Saul Centers Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $795.24 million, a P/E ratio of 17.86 and a beta of 1.08. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $34.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $67.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.94 million. Saul Centers had a net margin of 20.84% and a return on equity of 17.16%. Research analysts expect that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors 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 7.18%. Saul Centers's payout ratio is currently 144.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saul Centers

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BFS. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in shares of Saul Centers by 1,249.5% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,336 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in 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 in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in Saul Centers during the 4th quarter worth $105,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Saul Centers in the 4th quarter valued at $179,000. Finally, Gallacher Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Saul Centers during the 1st quarter valued at $201,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.