1,016,699 Shares in Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW Bought by Norges Bank

Norges Bank purchased a new position in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,016,699 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $26,251,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HIW. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 12.7% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 177,942 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,275,000 after purchasing an additional 19,998 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 15.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 822,655 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $24,383,000 after purchasing an additional 110,489 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 10.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,243 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $393,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 292.5% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,680 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,252 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 9.4% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 17,846 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $555,000 after purchasing an additional 1,534 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on HIW shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Highwoods Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Highwoods Properties currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.33.

Highwoods Properties Stock Up 5.0%

Highwoods Properties stock opened at $29.93 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $24.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.63 and a beta of 1.09. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $20.45 and a one year high of $32.76.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $214.03 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $209.06 million. Highwoods Properties had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 3.97%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.83 earnings per share. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.68 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Highwoods Properties, Inc. will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.7%. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 238.10%.

Highwoods Properties declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 22nd that permits the company to buyback $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the real estate investment trust to buy up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are 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.