Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Short Interest Up 27.8% in March

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 105,800 shares, a growth of 27.8% from the February 28th total of 82,800 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 49,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com cut Saul Centers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

Saul Centers Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of Saul Centers stock traded down $0.77 on Thursday, hitting $35.65. 65,376 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 50,395. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61. The firm's 50-day moving average is $36.46 and its 200 day moving average is $38.56. The stock has a market cap of $862.77 million, a P/E ratio of 19.38 and a beta of 1.08. Saul Centers has a 52-week low of $34.56 and a 52-week high of $42.39.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $67.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.94 million. Saul Centers had a net margin of 20.84% and a return on equity of 17.16%. Equities analysts anticipate that Saul Centers will post 3.14 earnings per share for the current year.

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Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be issued a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.62%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. Saul Centers's dividend payout ratio is currently 144.79%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 681,730 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $26,451,000 after acquiring an additional 16,407 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Saul Centers by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 279,674 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $10,851,000 after purchasing an additional 16,800 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Saul Centers by 27.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 140,411 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $5,448,000 after purchasing an additional 29,951 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 114,670 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $4,449,000 after purchasing an additional 598 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Saul Centers by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 109,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $4,229,000 after buying an additional 4,547 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 49.99% of the company's stock.

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.