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

Shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $31.1429.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Highwoods Properties from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wolfe Research began coverage on Highwoods Properties in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Mizuho raised their price target on Highwoods Properties from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Highwoods Properties from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 19th.

Highwoods Properties Stock Down 0.1%

HIW opened at $28.51 on Wednesday. Highwoods Properties has a fifty-two week low of $24.18 and a fifty-two week high of $34.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.39. The company has a market capitalization of $3.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.36 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $30.88 and a 200-day moving average of $30.32.

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

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.0%. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 170.94%.

Insider Activity at Highwoods Properties

In related news, Director David John Hartzell sold 4,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.10, for a total value of $138,030.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 27,489 shares in the company, valued at approximately $882,396.90. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Highwoods Properties by 3.4% in the first quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 17,106 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $507,000 after acquiring an additional 560 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 4.0% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 534,155 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $15,832,000 after buying an additional 20,458 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 35.7% in the 1st quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 28,920 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $857,000 after buying an additional 7,601 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Highwoods Properties in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $300,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 6,908 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $205,000 after buying an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

About Highwoods Properties

Highwoods Properties, Inc, headquartered in Raleigh, is a publicly-traded (NYSE:HIW), fully-integrated office real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, develops, acquires, leases and manages properties primarily in the best business districts (BBDs) of Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Nashville, Orlando, Raleigh, Richmond and Tampa.