Whittier Trust Co. Takes $74,000 Position in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)

Whittier Trust Co. purchased a new stake in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 2,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $74,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BFS. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its position in shares of Saul Centers by 2.4% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 14,891 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $573,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Saul Centers by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 10,384 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $408,000 after buying an additional 392 shares during the last quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Saul Centers by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 8,100 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Saul Centers by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 15,010 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $589,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Saul Centers by 12.2% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,283 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $434,000 after purchasing an additional 1,230 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

Saul Centers Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BFS opened at $40.61 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $38.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.38. The company has a market cap of $973.91 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.47 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.28. Saul Centers, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.56 and a 12 month high of $41.63.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.29). Saul Centers had a return on equity of 16.65% and a net margin of 20.49%. The company had revenue of $66.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $65.54 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.09 EPS for the current year.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, July 15th were given a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.81%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 15th. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio is currently 136.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. B. Riley boosted their price objective on Saul Centers from $43.50 to $45.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Saul Centers from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th.

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.