Wall Street Zen Downgrades Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) to Sell

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Highwoods Properties has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $29.78.

Highwoods Properties Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of HIW stock opened at $23.46 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.07 and a beta of 1.06. Highwoods Properties has a 12-month low of $21.56 and a 12-month high of $32.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $25.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.24.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $203.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.08 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.85 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.680 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Highwoods Properties will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Highwoods Properties

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HIW. Inscription Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 185.1% during the third quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 40,370 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,285,000 after purchasing an additional 26,211 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 3.4% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,302,750 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $200,554,000 after buying an additional 205,761 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 34.3% during the second quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 38,830 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,207,000 after buying an additional 9,910 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Highwoods Properties during the 2nd quarter worth about $43,203,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC increased its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 38.4% in the 2nd quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 123,169 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,573,000 after acquiring an additional 34,165 shares during the last quarter. 96.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Highwoods Properties Company 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.