Short Interest in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Drops By 18.5%

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) saw a significant drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 364,923 shares, a drop of 18.5% from the January 15th total of 447,998 shares. Approximately 3.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 70,238 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.2 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 70,238 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.2 days. Approximately 3.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Saul Centers currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Saul Centers Trading Up 2.3%

NYSE BFS opened at $35.21 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $32.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.76. Saul Centers has a twelve month low of $29.16 and a twelve month high of $37.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.29. The company has a market capitalization of $859.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.35 and a beta of 1.03.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th were given a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.7%. Saul Centers’s payout ratio is presently 203.45%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 853.2% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 734 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Saul Centers during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. CWM LLC boosted its position in Saul Centers by 105.3% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 848 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the fourth quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 450.6% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,795 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 1,469 shares during the period. 49.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Saul Centers

Saul Centers, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in the ownership, development and management of retail properties. The company’s portfolio is focused on grocery-anchored and necessity-based shopping centers, providing stable, long-term cash flows through leasing arrangements with national and regional retailers. In addition to ground-up development, Saul Centers actively pursues redevelopment and adaptive reuse projects to enhance value in existing assets.

Founded by the Saul family in 1945, Saul Centers has grown from a local real estate development firm into a listed REIT while maintaining its headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland.