Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Shares Sold by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund trimmed its stake in shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) by 10.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,286 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 894 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Saul Centers were worth $286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BFS. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. acquired a new position in Saul Centers during the 3rd quarter worth $2,768,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $1,249,000 after acquiring an additional 13,435 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the 3rd quarter worth about $365,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the 3rd quarter worth about $239,000. 49.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Saul Centers Stock Up 1.2 %

Saul Centers stock opened at $36.83 on Thursday. Saul Centers, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.13 and a fifty-two week high of $41.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.34, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $883.18 million, a P/E ratio of 21.29 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.41.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. B. Riley assumed coverage on Saul Centers in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $43.50 price objective for the company. StockNews.com cut Saul Centers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday.

Insider Activity

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

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.