Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Tuesday morning.

Separately, B. Riley increased their target price on shares of Saul Centers from $43.50 to $45.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd.

Saul Centers Price Performance

BFS opened at $40.15 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $970.43 million, a PE ratio of 21.62 and a beta of 1.11. The business’s 50-day moving average is $40.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.80. Saul Centers has a 1 year low of $34.87 and a 1 year high of $42.39. 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 15th were issued a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.88%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 15th. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio is presently 128.26%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saul Centers

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BFS. Inspire Investing LLC grew its position in Saul Centers by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 9,668 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 2.4% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 14,891 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $573,000 after buying an additional 356 shares during the last quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Saul Centers in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Saul Centers by 31.2% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 3,648 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $153,000 after acquiring an additional 868 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp raised its stake in Saul Centers by 9.9% in the 2nd quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 11,383 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $419,000 after acquiring an additional 1,028 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

Saul Centers Company Profile

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.