Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Short Interest Update

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of 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. Based on an average daily volume of 49,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Saul Centers Stock Performance

Shares of BFS stock traded down $1.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $34.30. The stock had a trading volume of 66,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 50,340. The firm has a market cap of $829.97 million, a PE ratio of 18.64 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61. Saul Centers has a one year low of $34.22 and a one year high of $42.39. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $36.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.49.

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

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.88%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. Saul Centers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 144.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Saul Centers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Saul Centers

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BFS. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Saul Centers in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,549,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Saul Centers during the fourth quarter worth $2,398,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 56.2% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 86,974 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,375,000 after acquiring an additional 31,308 shares during the period. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the 4th quarter valued at $1,164,000. Finally, Crossingbridge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the 4th quarter worth about $1,164,000. 49.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.