Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Buys New Shares in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 6,500 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $255,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the 3rd quarter valued at about $99,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Saul Centers in the third quarter valued at approximately $137,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the third quarter valued at approximately $239,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $289,000. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $365,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Saul Centers

In other Saul Centers news, COO David Todd Pearson acquired 2,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $36.52 per share, for a total transaction of $83,996.00. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer now directly owns 6,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $226,570.08. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, COO David Todd Pearson bought 2,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $36.52 per share, for a total transaction of $83,996.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 6,204 shares in the company, valued at approximately $226,570.08. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director James Page Lansdale sold 5,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.89, for a total value of $208,470.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,181.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 56.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Saul Centers Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BFS opened at $36.83 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $36.95 and its 200-day moving average is $37.41. The firm has a market cap of $883.18 million, a P/E ratio of 21.29 and a beta of 1.08. Saul Centers, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.13 and a 1-year high of $41.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.34.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 15th were given a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 12th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.41%. Saul Centers’s payout ratio is presently 136.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on BFS. StockNews.com downgraded Saul Centers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. B. Riley started coverage on shares of 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 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.