Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its stake in Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 677,070 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 26,835 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Saul Centers were worth $26,270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Saul Centers by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 34,243 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,329,000 after buying an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Saul Centers by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 10,341 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 497 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Saul Centers by 7.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 55,666 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,336,000 after buying an additional 3,708 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Saul Centers by 280.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,932 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $878,000 after buying an additional 15,424 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zacks Investment Management purchased a new stake in shares of Saul Centers in the third quarter valued at approximately $702,000. 49.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Saul Centers Stock Down 0.7 %

Saul Centers stock opened at $35.77 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Saul Centers, Inc. has a 12 month low of $34.87 and a 12 month high of $42.39. The stock 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 simple moving average of $37.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.25.

Saul Centers Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th were given a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 15th. Saul Centers’s payout ratio is 128.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Saul Centers 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.