BETHESDA, Md. (AP) _ Saul Centers Inc. (BFS) on Thursday reported a key measure of profitability in its second quarter. The results matched Wall Street expectations.

The Bethesda, Maryland-based real estate investment trust said it had funds from operations of $20 million, or 64 cents per share, in the period.

The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for funds from operations of 64 cents per share.

Funds from operations is a closely watched measure in the REIT industry. It takes net income and adds back items such as depreciation and amortization.

The company said it had net income of $5.5 million, or 24 cents per share.

The real estate investment trust involved mostly in shopping malls posted revenue of $53.2 million in the period, falling short of Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $53.8 million.

The company's shares have dropped 42% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Thursday, shares hit $30.87, a decline of 41% in the last 12 months.

This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on BFS at https://www.zacks.com/ap/BFS

Automated Insights, source Associated Press News