Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $30.75.

Several research firms have recently commented on HIW. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Highwoods Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $29.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Highwoods Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Highwoods Properties

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 12.7% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 177,942 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,275,000 after acquiring an additional 19,998 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 15.5% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 822,655 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $24,383,000 after purchasing an additional 110,489 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 10.4% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,243 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $393,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 292.5% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,680 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 1,252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Highwoods Properties during the second quarter valued at approximately $300,000. 96.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Highwoods Properties Trading Down 5.4%

Highwoods Properties stock opened at $22.08 on Friday. Highwoods Properties has a 52-week low of $21.56 and a 52-week high of $32.76. The company has a market cap of $2.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.13 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.50.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by ($0.58). Highwoods Properties had a return on equity of 6.86% and a net margin of 20.10%.The business had revenue of $203.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $208.08 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.85 EPS. Highwoods Properties’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.680 EPS. Analysts predict that Highwoods Properties will post 3.36 EPS for the current year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.1%. Highwoods Properties’s payout ratio is 170.94%.

About Highwoods Properties

Highwoods Properties, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, leases and manages office properties. The company’s portfolio is primarily focused on Class A office space, with an emphasis on high-quality buildings in key urban and suburban submarkets. Highwoods seeks to generate long-term, recurring revenues through a mix of in-place lease renewals, strategic dispositions and build-to-suit developments. Its asset management platform drives operational efficiencies and tenant service initiatives across its holdings.

Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, Highwoods Properties has expanded its presence to eight major metropolitan regions across the Southeastern United States and Texas.