Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on HIW. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $29.00 target price on Highwoods Properties in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.20.

Highwoods Properties Trading Down 3.5%

Highwoods Properties stock opened at $22.16 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $25.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. Highwoods Properties has a one year low of $21.56 and a one year high of $32.76. The stock has a market cap of $2.44 billion, a PE ratio of 15.18 and a beta of 1.07.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $208.08 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. Highwoods Properties’s revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.680 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Highwoods Properties will post 3.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 136.99%.

Institutional Trading of Highwoods Properties

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HIW. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in Highwoods Properties by 88.6% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 792 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 921.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 858 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 774 shares during the period. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in shares of Highwoods Properties during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Highwoods Properties in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Highwoods Properties in the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

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.