Sanctuary Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 18,972 Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW

Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 18,972 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $572,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in HIW. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 88.6% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 792 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Highwoods Properties by 0.5% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 98,051 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,048,000 after purchasing an additional 489 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 19,896 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $514,000 after purchasing an additional 572 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 22,218 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $574,000 after purchasing an additional 720 shares during the period. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its position in Highwoods Properties by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 25,127 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $649,000 after purchasing an additional 808 shares in the last quarter. 96.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup upped their target price on Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $23.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties from $23.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Highwoods Properties from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $31.67.

Highwoods Properties Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HIW opened at $31.16 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $31.76 and a 200 day moving average of $26.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The company has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.50 and a beta of 1.05. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a 52 week low of $20.45 and a 52 week high of $35.44.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.86 by ($0.01). Highwoods Properties had a net margin of 20.74% and a return on equity of 7.06%. The company had revenue of $216.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $212.15 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.460-3.700 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Highwoods Properties, Inc. will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.4%. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 131.58%.

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.