Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Short Interest Down 8.4% in October

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 86,600 shares, a decrease of 8.4% from the October 15th total of 94,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 49,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Saul Centers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. B. Riley upped their price objective on Saul Centers from $43.50 to $45.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the second quarter valued at about $3,272,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Saul Centers in the 1st quarter valued at $1,293,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Saul Centers by 115.0% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 59,675 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,194,000 after acquiring an additional 31,919 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new position in Saul Centers during the 2nd quarter worth $1,060,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Saul Centers by 149.6% during the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 40,512 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,700,000 after purchasing an additional 24,281 shares in the last quarter. 49.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Saul Centers Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE BFS traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $39.38. The stock had a trading volume of 31,265 shares, compared to its average volume of 52,877. Saul Centers has a twelve month low of $34.87 and a twelve month high of $42.39. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $40.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.75. The firm has a market cap of $951.81 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.43 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 15th were issued a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.99%. Saul Centers’s payout ratio is currently 128.26%.

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.