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 report released on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Highwoods Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $29.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. New Street Research set a $30.00 target price on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Monday, October 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Highwoods Properties from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Highwoods Properties in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.75.

Highwoods Properties Trading Up 1.2%

HIW stock opened at $27.52 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. Highwoods Properties has a twelve month low of $24.18 and a twelve month high of $32.76. The company has a market cap of $3.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.52 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a fifty day moving average of $26.79 and a 200-day moving average of $29.16.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.86. The business had revenue of $201.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $205.74 million. Highwoods Properties had a return on equity of 5.48% and a net margin of 15.98%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.90 earnings per share. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.410-3.45 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Highwoods Properties will post 3.36 EPS for the current year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.3%. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 170.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIW. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 88.6% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 792 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 774 shares during the period. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in Highwoods Properties in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Highwoods Properties in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Highwoods Properties in the third quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 96.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.