BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — Saul Centers Inc. (BFS) on Thursday reported a key measure of profitability in its first quarter.

The real estate investment trust, based in Bethesda, Maryland, said it had funds from operations of $24.6 million, or 71 cents per share, in the period.

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 $7 million, or 29 cents per share.

The real estate investment trust involved mostly in shopping malls posted revenue of $71.9 million in the period.

The company's shares have fallen 15% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Thursday, shares hit $32.89, a decrease of nearly 9% in the last 12 months.

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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