Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Short Interest Up 6.2% in June

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 97,600 shares, an increase of 6.2% from the May 31st total of 91,900 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 53,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Saul Centers from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. B. Riley assumed coverage on Saul Centers in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $43.50 target price for the company.

Saul Centers Price Performance

BFS stock opened at $36.60 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $36.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.28. The stock has a market cap of $877.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.16 and a beta of 1.11. Saul Centers has a 52-week low of $33.56 and a 52-week high of $41.04.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 15th will be paid a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.45%. Saul Centers’s payout ratio is presently 136.42%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saul Centers

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BFS. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 29.5% in the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 54,931 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,937,000 after buying an additional 12,514 shares in the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the third quarter valued at $239,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the third quarter valued at $2,768,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 19,984 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $805,000 after buying an additional 1,180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the fourth quarter valued at $255,000. 49.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.