Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) shares moved above their 200-day moving average, trading as high as $36.33 and last changing hands around $35.54, which may signal improved short-term momentum.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating, and the stock’s overall average rating is still Hold.
• The REIT recently posted stronger-than-expected earnings of $0.26 per share versus $0.13 expected, and it declared a quarterly dividend of $0.59 per share, implying an annualized yield of 6.6%.

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $34.15 and traded as high as $36.33. Saul Centers shares last traded at $35.5440, with a volume of 97,097 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Saul Centers currently has an average rating of "Hold".

Saul Centers Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $872.11 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.53 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.54, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 1.71.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $74.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $75.11 million. Saul Centers had a return on equity of 12.44% and a net margin of 12.43%.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be paid a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 15th. Saul Centers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 222.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Saul Centers news, COO David Todd Pearson purchased 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was bought at an average price of $34.74 per share, for a total transaction of $90,324.00. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer directly owned 79,321 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,755,611.54. This represents a 3.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 51.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saul Centers

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Saul Centers by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,966,888 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $62,016,000 after purchasing an additional 56,758 shares during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its stake in Saul Centers by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 740,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $23,332,000 after purchasing an additional 50,767 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 202,245 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $6,589,000 after purchasing an additional 1,388 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 543.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 189,830 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $6,050,000 after purchasing an additional 160,335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 166,070 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $5,236,000 after buying an additional 6,670 shares during the period. 49.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Saul Centers

Saul Centers, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in the ownership, development and management of retail properties. The company's portfolio is focused on grocery-anchored and necessity-based shopping centers, providing stable, long-term cash flows through leasing arrangements with national and regional retailers. In addition to ground-up development, Saul Centers actively pursues redevelopment and adaptive reuse projects to enhance value in existing assets.

Founded by the Saul family in 1945, Saul Centers has grown from a local real estate development firm into a listed REIT while maintaining its headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland.

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