Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) Reaches New 52-Week Low - Time to Sell?

Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $31.63 and last traded at $33.37, with a volume of 90975 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $32.21.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Saul Centers Stock Performance

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 company has a market capitalization of $799.36 million, a PE ratio of 17.95 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $35.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.04.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. Saul Centers had a net margin of 20.84% and a return on equity of 17.16%. The business had revenue of $67.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.94 million. Analysts predict that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.15%. Saul Centers's dividend payout ratio is presently 144.79%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new position in Saul Centers during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,549,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Saul Centers in the 4th quarter worth about $2,398,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in 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 worth $3,375,000 after acquiring an additional 31,308 shares in the last quarter. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Saul Centers during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,164,000. Finally, Crossingbridge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,164,000. 49.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.