Principal Financial Group Inc. Reduces Holdings in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS)

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 677,070 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 26,835 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 2.80% of Saul Centers worth $26,270,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 868 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers during the third quarter worth about $202,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Saul Centers during the third quarter worth about $288,000. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 10,341 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares during the period. Finally, Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 21.5% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 14,422 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $605,000 after purchasing an additional 2,556 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Saul Centers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th.

Saul Centers Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:BFS opened at $35.77 on Friday. Saul Centers, Inc. has a 12-month low of $34.87 and a 12-month high of $42.39. The company has a market capitalization of $864.66 million, a PE ratio of 19.44 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a 50 day moving average of $37.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were issued a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.60%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. Saul Centers’s payout ratio is presently 128.26%.

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.