Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 407,406 Shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,903,497 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 407,406 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 15.38% of Highwoods Properties worth $436,448,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 88.6% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 792 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC now owns 9,075 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 31,902 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,015,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank grew its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 32,927 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,048,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares during the period. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 98,051 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,048,000 after purchasing an additional 489 shares during the period. 96.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Highwoods Properties Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of Highwoods Properties stock opened at $25.11 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.27. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.45 and a 52-week high of $32.76. The firm has a market cap of $2.77 billion, a PE ratio of 29.89 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 1.50.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $214.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $209.06 million. Highwoods Properties had a return on equity of 3.97% and a net margin of 11.64%.The business’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.83 EPS. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.68 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Highwoods Properties, Inc. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 22nd that allows the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the real estate investment trust to repurchase up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.0%. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 238.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HIW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Highwoods Properties from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $24.00 to $23.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Highwoods Properties from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $29.00 price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.67.

Highwoods Properties Profile

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.