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

Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $27.3333.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Weiss Ratings raised Highwoods Properties from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised Highwoods Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Mizuho dropped their target price on Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HIW. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in Highwoods Properties by 88.6% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 792 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc increased its position in Highwoods Properties by 921.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 858 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 774 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in Highwoods Properties in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new position in Highwoods Properties in the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Highwoods Properties by 292.5% in the 1st 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 last quarter. 96.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Highwoods Properties Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of Highwoods Properties stock opened at $30.16 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $24.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.82. The company has a market cap of $3.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.91 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. Highwoods Properties has a 1 year low of $20.45 and a 1 year high of $32.76.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.68 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Highwoods Properties will post 3.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 22nd that permits the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the real estate investment trust to repurchase up to 9.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 238.10%.

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.