Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Sunday.

HIW has been the subject of several other reports. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird set a $29.00 price target on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Highwoods Properties currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $29.20.

Highwoods Properties Stock Performance

HIW stock opened at $21.46 on Friday. Highwoods Properties has a twelve month low of $21.18 and a twelve month high of $32.76. The firm has a market cap of $2.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.70 and a beta of 1.07. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $24.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by ($0.58). The company had revenue of $203.36 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $208.08 million. Highwoods Properties had a net margin of 20.10% and a return on equity of 6.86%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.680 EPS. Analysts predict that Highwoods Properties will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.3%. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 136.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Highwoods Properties

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of HIW. Inscription Capital LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 26,211 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Highwoods Properties by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 772,326 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $24,575,000 after acquiring an additional 61,443 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,302,750 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $200,554,000 after acquiring an additional 205,761 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Highwoods Properties in the 2nd quarter valued at $43,203,000. Finally, Aew Capital Management L P raised its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 95.4% in the 3rd quarter. Aew Capital Management L P now owns 2,344,571 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $74,604,000 after acquiring an additional 1,144,991 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

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.