UBS Group AG Decreases Stake in Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW

UBS Group AG lessened its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) by 31.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 357,300 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 166,720 shares during the period. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Highwoods Properties were worth $9,225,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HIW. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 12.7% during 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 last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 15.5% during 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 last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 10.4% during 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 last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 292.5% during 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 last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 9.4% during 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird set a $29.00 target price on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Citigroup reduced their target price 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.78.

Highwoods Properties Stock Down 2.8%

HIW opened at $25.48 on Friday. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $20.45 and a fifty-two week high of $32.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 1.50. The company has a fifty day moving average of $22.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.33 and a beta of 1.08.

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

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

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

Highwoods Properties announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 22nd that authorizes the company to buyback $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the real estate investment trust to reacquire up to 9.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership 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.