Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eight analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $27.7778.

HIW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Highwoods Properties from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $24.00 to $23.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, 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.

Highwoods Properties Trading Down 2.8%

Highwoods Properties stock opened at $25.48 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. Highwoods Properties has a 12 month low of $20.45 and a 12 month high of $32.76. The stock has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.33 and a beta of 1.08.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.13. Highwoods Properties had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 3.97%. The business had revenue of $214.03 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $209.06 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. Highwoods Properties’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.68 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Highwoods Properties will post 3.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.9%. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 238.10%.

Highwoods Properties announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 22nd that allows the company to repurchase $250.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the real estate investment trust to repurchase up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Highwoods Properties

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Highwoods Properties by 14.3% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 22,742 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $487,000 after acquiring an additional 2,846 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its position in Highwoods Properties by 133.8% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 1,808,104 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $38,712,000 after acquiring an additional 1,034,694 shares during the last quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. acquired a new position in Highwoods Properties during the 1st quarter worth $633,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Highwoods Properties by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 17,814 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $381,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inceptionr LLC acquired a new position in Highwoods Properties during the 1st quarter worth $307,000. 96.31% of the stock is currently 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.