Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Rating Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

Separately, B. Riley started coverage on Saul Centers in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $43.50 price target for the company.

Saul Centers Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE BFS opened at $36.45 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $873.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.34, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Saul Centers has a 12 month low of $32.13 and a 12 month high of $41.04. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $36.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.42.

Insider Buying and Selling at Saul Centers

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saul Centers

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the third quarter valued at $2,768,000. LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in Saul Centers by 1,932.1% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 56,900 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,234,000 after acquiring an additional 54,100 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Saul Centers by 29.5% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 54,931 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,937,000 after acquiring an additional 12,514 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Saul Centers by 61.1% during the 3rd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 35,419 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,249,000 after acquiring an additional 13,435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, XML Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 31,439 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,109,000 after purchasing an additional 3,763 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

About Saul Centers

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.