Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) Cut to “Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Sunday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on HIW. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Mizuho dropped their price target on Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $29.00 price objective on Highwoods Properties in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Highwoods Properties has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.78.

Highwoods Properties Price Performance

Shares of HIW opened at $21.80 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $24.55 and its 200-day moving average is $27.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a PE ratio of 14.93 and a beta of 1.07. Highwoods Properties has a fifty-two week low of $21.18 and a fifty-two week high of $32.76.

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

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 136.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Highwoods Properties

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HIW. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Highwoods Properties by 12.7% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 177,942 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,275,000 after acquiring an additional 19,998 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Highwoods Properties by 15.5% in the 1st 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 period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Highwoods Properties by 10.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,243 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $393,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Highwoods Properties by 292.5% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,680 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 1.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,046,968 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $63,650,000 after purchasing an additional 23,168 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

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.