Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Decreases Holdings in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC decreased its position in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 39,782 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 730 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Saul Centers were worth $1,544,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BFS. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 31.2% during the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 3,648 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $153,000 after acquiring an additional 868 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in Saul Centers in the 3rd quarter worth $202,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Saul Centers in the third quarter worth $288,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its stake in Saul Centers by 62.8% in the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 8,298 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 3,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC boosted its position in Saul Centers by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 8,934 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

Saul Centers Stock Performance

Shares of BFS stock opened at $37.46 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $905.32 million, a P/E ratio of 20.36 and a beta of 1.11. Saul Centers, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $34.98 and a fifty-two week high of $42.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $37.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.20.

Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.31. The company 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%. Analysts expect that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.30%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. Saul Centers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 128.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Saul Centers from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday.

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.