SAUL CENTERS REIT INC (BFS)
Real Estate · Retail REIT / Shopping Center Properties · NYSE
A REIT specializing in grocery- and discount-anchored community shopping centers in affluent, densely populated markets that generate stable rental income and distributions.
What SAUL CENTERS REIT INC does
Saul Centers, Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, operates, manages, and develops community and neighborhood shopping centers, as well as office and residential properties. Its retail properties are primarily anchored by grocery stores, drug stores, and providers of day-to-day necessities rather than luxury goods. The company focuses on properties located in well-established, densely populated, and affluent areas, primarily in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore metropolitan region.
Themes: Retail real estate / shopping centers, Community retail anchored properties, REIT dividend income, Real estate development and redevelopment
Fundamentals
- Price$33.72 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$833M as of 2026-08-21
- 1-year return+1.8% 2025-08-21 close $33.12 → 2026-08-21 close $33.72
- P/E23.36 as of 2026-08-24
- Net margin+12.4% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+70.8% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE+11.8% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity5.29 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)+8.3% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+5.6% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.89 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-08-06 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +6.6%; at least 5 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How BFS compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiomiddle range 127 covered Real Estate peers, as of 2026-08-24
- net profit marginmiddle range 161 covered Real Estate peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating marginmiddle range 161 covered Real Estate peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross marginmiddle range 156 covered Real Estate peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitytop 25% 162 covered Real Estate peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 155 covered Real Estate peers
- indicated dividend yieldmiddle range 138 covered Real Estate peers, as of 2026-08-24
Position among covered Real Estate companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Dividend coverage (FY2025)
Exceeded at least one reported measure. In FY2025, BFS's dividend exceeded at least one reported measure of what it earned or generated (earnings payout 152%, operating-cash-flow payout 57%). A payout above 100% in one year is not necessarily unsustainable, but it is not fully covered by that measure.
- Earnings payout152% dividends / net income
- Operating-cash-flow payout57% dividends / operating cash flow — capital spending was not reported, so this does not subtract it
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2025 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How SAUL CENTERS REIT INC looks technically
SAUL CENTERS REIT INC (BFS) is trading 0.5% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 124 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. A strong downtrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 25, with sellers in control. Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 39, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 7 trading days ago (its momentum flipped positive). It made a new 20-day low about 13 trading days ago.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 0.5% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +0.5% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $35.68 | $35.68 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $33.54 | $33.54 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been lower than the one before it and each dip deeper — the pattern chart-watchers call a downtrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | lower highs and lower lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing high 7 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 7 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five; the labelling fails if price closes above 35.36. It is one of several labellings that fit, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C. | possible downward five-wave sequence, in wave 3 (one of several readings) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 124 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 124 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a strong downtrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 25, with sellers in control | 25.0 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 39, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 38.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading in the lower half of its 14-day range ($32.76 to $35.36) — its "stochastic" reading is 37 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been slipping within that range over the last few sessions. | 37.0 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 7 trading days ago (its momentum flipped positive) | 7 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $38.09 | $38.09 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 11.5% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -11.5% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 15.2% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +15.2% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 11.5% below its highest point of the past year | 11.5% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day low about 13 trading days ago | 13 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day high about 40 trading days ago | 40 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $68.75 (set on 2016-09-07) | $68.75 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($29.61 to $37.88), and it has given back around half of its rise from last year’s low — 50% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $32.50 to $32.77. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 50.3% |
| From the all-time high | it is 51.0% below its all-time high | -51.0% |
| Nearest price level | it is sitting right on a support level at $33.60 — a price it turned at four times since 2025-05-02, most recently on 2026-04-15. Since 2024-08-21 it has 5 such levels below the current price and 8 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -0.3% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $18.42 (set on 2009-03-06) | $18.42 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 83.1% above its all-time low | +83.1% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are about average versus its own recent 6-month history | 35th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $0.7552 between its high and its low — about 2.2% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $0.7552 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $33.21 and $35.58 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $33.21 – $34.40 – $35.58 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 2.2% in a typical session — calmer than most companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 2.2% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 0.2 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (0.5% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 0.2 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.69× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts' average price target is unchanged from the prior reading | 0.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | not available for this company yet | n/a |
Candlestick patterns
3
| Since a doji | 1 session ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 1 session ago |
|---|---|---|
| Since a hammer | 9 sessions ago, after a stretch of decline, it sold off hard during the session and then closed back near its high — a "hammer", the long lower wick showing the drop was bought back before the close | 9 sessions ago |
| Since a bullish engulfing | 8 sessions ago it opened below the previous session's close and finished above that session's open — a "bullish engulfing" pair, where one up day more than undid the down day before it | 8 sessions ago |
Price gaps
2
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-21 at essentially the same price it closed at the session before — no meaningful overnight gap | -0.1% |
|---|---|---|
| Gap filled | a 4.3% gap up opened on 2026-06-11 has been "filled" 46 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 3 sessions to close | 46 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it has closed lower 2 sessions in a row, a -1.46% move over the run — an unbroken run of down days, which describes what has already happened and says nothing about the next session | 2 sessions down |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 9.4 percentage points (the stock lost 7.0% while the market gained 2.3%) | -9.4% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock lagged the market by 5.2 percentage points (the stock lost 2.1% while the market gained 3.1%) | -5.2% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 14.5 percentage points (the stock lost 3.5% while the market gained 11.1%) | -14.5% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 18.7 percentage points (the stock gained 1.8% while the market gained 20.5%) | -18.7% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 3 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, MACD momentum is positive — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 3 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 3 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: a strong downtrend, with sellers in control, lagging the market over 6 months, trading below the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 3 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 4.8% below the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established downtrend, with the band above acting as the level that would have to be cleared. The band itself is moderate, spanning 3.6% of the share price. | -4.8% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 2% below the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $34.46 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 158 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -2.2% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 5% below the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-05-07 (its 10-Q), so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $35.31 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 72 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -4.5% |
Price levels it has turned at before
BFS last closed at $33.72 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-08-21 it has turned at 5 prices below its last close and 8 above; the 3 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $33.60 | Support | 0.3% below the last close | turned there four times · 2025-05-02 to 2026-04-15 |
| $34.61 | Resistance | 2.6% above the last close | turned there four times · 2025-05-16 to 2026-04-28 |
| $32.70 | Support | 3.0% below the last close | turned there six times · 2025-07-18 to 2026-08-07 |
| $35.39 | Resistance | 5.0% above the last close | turned there 13 times · 2025-01-24 to 2026-08-14 |
| $31.91 | Support | 5.4% below the last close | turned there 7 times · 2025-04-11 to 2026-03-27 |
| $36.22 | Resistance | 7.4% above the last close | turned there three times · 2025-01-10 to 2025-03-31 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes above $35.36.
This is one of several labellings that fit the same swings, so treat it as a reading rather than the reading. It was chosen from 2 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
On past moves of this shape the leg has usually ended somewhere between $26.99 and $30.19 — that is where it has tended to end if the count holds, not a forecast of where the price goes.
Alternate reading: The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C, which fails on a close above $35.36.
This reading has stood for 1 trading day, since 2026-08-21.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Near 200-day moving-average support · Trading above the 200-day moving average · lagging the market · Under water since its last earnings report (below the anchored VWAP) · Trading below the Ichimoku cloud · Near a support level (sitting on a price it has bounced off before) | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · macd · breakout
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Mean price target$43.50 range $40.00 – $47.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-18. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Tenant payment risk and ability of retail tenants to operate profitably in competitive or challenged environments","Financing risk from rising interest rates, debt covenants, and access to capital markets","Macroeconomic headwinds and adverse trends in retail real estate sector could reduce demand and property valuations"]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of BFS's 10-Q filed 2026-05-07 against the prior one filed 2025-11-06.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Added reference to '2025 10-K' (newer filing uses 2025 10-K vs. older filing's 2024 10-K)
- Added 'international conflict disruptions' to macroeconomic risks (2026-05-07 filing)
- Added 'potential future uses of artificial intelligence' to cybersecurity risks (2026-05-07 filing)
- Added 'reputational risk, regulatory risk' to cybersecurity and AI risks (2026-05-07 filing)
- Added reference to 'Washington, DC/Baltimore metropolitan area' expansion in Overview (2026-05-07 filing)
- Added disclosure that 'The Company recently entered into a lease with Publix' at Ashland Square (2026-05-07 filing)
- Removed:
- Removed 'present expectations and' from forward-looking statements language (older filing stated 'present expectations and reasonable assumptions'; newer states only 'reasonable assumptions')
- Removed reference to 'Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024' (2025-11-06 filing)
- Removed specific mention of 'significant reductions-in-force of federal employees and the current government shutdown' (2025-11-06 filing)
- Changed 'nine more pad sites' to 'eight more pad sites' under executed leases (2025-11-06 vs. 2026-05-07)
- Removed 'in the current economic and capital markets environment' phrasing about acquisition uncertainty (2025-11-06 filing)
- Reworded:
- Changed 'Form 10-Q' to 'Report' in opening reference (2026-05-07 filing)
- Changed 'financial results of the Company' to 'financial results' in historical results disclaimer (2026-05-07 filing)
- Changed 'risks of financing' to 'financing risks' (2026-05-07 filing)
- Changed 'on acceptable terms' to 'on acceptable terms or at all' in financing risk language (2026-05-07 filing)
- Changed macroeconomic condition language from 'geopolitical and global trade disruptions' to 'geopolitical, global trade and international conflict disruptions' (2026-05-07 filing)
- Changed cybersecurity risk from 'risks relating to cybersecurity' to 'risks relating to cybersecurity and potential future uses of artificial intelligence' (2026-05-07 filing)
- Changed acquisition opportunity language from 'uncertain' to 'will continue to be challenging to identify' (2026-05-07 filing)
- Changed 'focus on diversification' to 'continue to diversify' in strategy description (2026-05-07 filing)
- Changed 'Washington, DC metropolitan area' to 'Washington, DC/Baltimore metropolitan area' in Overview (2026-05-07 filing)
- Changed 'nine more pad sites' to 'eight more pad sites' (2026-05-07 filing)
- Changed reporting period from 'three and nine months ended September 30, 2025' to 'three months ended March 31, 2026' (2026-05-07 filing)
- Changed reference from 'this Form 10-Q' to 'this Report' multiple times (2026-05-07 filing)
- Changed 'the adverse consequences of the failure to qualify as a REIT' to 'the adverse consequences of any failure to qualify as a REIT' (2026-05-07 filing)
- Notes:
- Newer filing (2026-05-07) appears truncated at end; comparison limited to available text
- Older filing (2025-11-06) also appears truncated; full comparison not possible for all sections
- The two filings cover different fiscal periods (Q1 2026 vs. Q3 2025) which may account for some substantive changes beyond wording
Risk Factors
The two filings could not be meaningfully compared for this section.
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
1 open-market purchase and 0 open-market sales by insiders in the last 90 days.
- Last 90 days1 buy ($90337) · 0 sells — 1 buying insider
- Last 180 days1 buy ($90337) · 0 sells — 1 buying insider
Activity heuristic: net buying (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-05-28. As of 2026-08-24.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about BFS's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
BFS had 358,871 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
BFS had 1.45% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 4.56 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 358,871
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 1.45%
- Prior settlement (shares) 371,799
- Reported change -3.48%
- Days to cover (reported) 4.56
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Regency Centers Corporation (REG)
- Retail Opportunity Investments Corp (ROIC)
- Whitestone REIT (WSR)
- Brixmor Property Group (BRX)
- Urstadt Biddle Properties (UBA)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
Compare BFS vs…
Frequently asked questions
What does SAUL CENTERS REIT INC (BFS) do?
Saul Centers, Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, operates, manages, and develops community and neighborhood shopping centers, as well as office and residential properties. Its retail properties are primarily anchored by grocery stores, drug stores, and providers of day-to-day necessities rather than luxury goods.
What sector is SAUL CENTERS REIT INC (BFS) in?
SAUL CENTERS REIT INC (BFS) is classified in the Real Estate sector. Its industry is Retail REIT / Shopping Center Properties. It trades on NYSE.
Does BFS pay a dividend?
Yes — SAUL CENTERS REIT INC (BFS) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 6.55% and at least 5 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-08-24). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are SAUL CENTERS REIT INC's (BFS) competitors?
Notable peers of SAUL CENTERS REIT INC (BFS) include Regency Centers Corporation, Retail Opportunity Investments Corp, Whitestone REIT, Brixmor Property Group and Urstadt Biddle Properties. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is SAUL CENTERS REIT INC (BFS) overbought or oversold right now?
SAUL CENTERS REIT INC (BFS) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 39, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on BFS come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.