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

Shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $28.1111.

Several research firms have commented on HIW. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Highwoods Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised Highwoods Properties from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Morgan Stanley raised Highwoods Properties from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $24.00 to $23.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price target on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Highwoods Properties

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings 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 worth $25,000 after buying an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its position in Highwoods Properties by 921.4% in the third quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 858 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 774 shares during the period. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 752.0% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 940 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in shares of Highwoods Properties during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,252 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

Highwoods Properties Stock Down 1.0%

HIW opened at $31.23 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.50. The company’s 50-day moving average is $28.07 and its 200 day moving average is $25.40. Highwoods Properties has a fifty-two week low of $20.45 and a fifty-two week high of $32.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.18 and a beta of 1.07.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.13. Highwoods Properties had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 3.97%. The business had revenue of $214.03 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $209.06 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.83 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.68 EPS. Research analysts expect that Highwoods Properties will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. Highwoods Properties’s payout ratio is presently 238.10%.

Highwoods Properties announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 22nd that allows the company to buyback $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the real estate investment trust to purchase up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.