UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Sells 7,334 Shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC decreased its holdings in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) by 34.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,181 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 7,334 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in Saul Centers were worth $550,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Saul Centers by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,418 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC increased its stake in Saul Centers by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 8,934 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management increased its stake in Saul Centers by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 17,121 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $664,000 after buying an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Saul Centers by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 22,029 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $855,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Saul Centers by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 7,113 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $276,000 after buying an additional 449 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

Saul Centers Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:BFS opened at $34.91 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $844.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97 and a beta of 1.09. Saul Centers, Inc. has a 52 week low of $31.25 and a 52 week high of $42.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $33.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.08.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. 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). Saul Centers had a return on equity of 17.16% and a net margin of 20.84%. The company had revenue of $70.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $69.76 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Saul Centers

In related news, CEO B Francis Saul II purchased 2,821 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $33.22 per share, for a total transaction of $93,713.62. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 217,397 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,221,928.34. This trade represents a 1.31% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders purchased a total of 10,210 shares of company stock worth $341,786 in the last quarter. Insiders own 56.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Saul Centers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

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.