AlphaCentric Advisors LLC Purchases New Stake in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)

AlphaCentric Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 30,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $1,164,000. Saul Centers accounts for 1.2% of AlphaCentric Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC owned 0.12% of Saul Centers at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 55,666 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,336,000 after buying an additional 3,708 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 17.1% in the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 43,083 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,808,000 after buying an additional 6,301 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 149.6% in the 3rd 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 buying an additional 24,281 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of Saul Centers by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 34,243 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,329,000 after acquiring an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in shares of Saul Centers by 75.7% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 34,240 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,437,000 after acquiring an additional 14,755 shares in the last quarter. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Saul Centers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th.

Saul Centers Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE BFS traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $36.06. 45,698 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 44,621. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Saul Centers, Inc. has a twelve month low of $34.87 and a twelve month high of $42.39. The company has a market cap of $871.45 million, a PE ratio of 19.60 and a beta of 1.11. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $37.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $39.25.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were given a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 15th. Saul Centers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 128.26%.

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.