Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Hits New 12-Month Low Following Weak Earnings

Shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as low as $31.25 and last traded at $33.24, with a volume of 628 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $32.89.

The real estate investment trust reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.73 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $70.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $69.76 million. Saul Centers had a net margin of 20.84% and a return on equity of 17.16%.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th were paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 160.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Saul Centers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saul Centers

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the 4th quarter worth $2,549,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Saul Centers in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,398,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Saul Centers in the first quarter worth about $1,253,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 56.2% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 86,974 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,375,000 after acquiring an additional 31,308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaCentric Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,164,000. 49.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Saul Centers Stock Up 0.4 %

The company’s 50-day moving average is $34.36 and its 200 day moving average is $37.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $798.88 million, a PE ratio of 17.94 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61.

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.