Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $27.7778.

Several research firms recently weighed in on HIW. Morgan Stanley upgraded Highwoods Properties from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $24.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Citigroup cut their price target 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Highwoods Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on Highwoods Properties from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th.

Institutional Trading of Highwoods Properties

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIW. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake 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 valued at $5,275,000 after purchasing an additional 19,998 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 15.5% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 822,655 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $24,383,000 after purchasing an additional 110,489 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 10.4% during the 1st 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. boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 292.5% during the 1st 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, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 17,846 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $555,000 after purchasing an additional 1,534 shares during the last quarter. 96.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Highwoods Properties Stock Performance

Highwoods Properties stock opened at $25.57 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The company has a market capitalization of $2.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.44 and a beta of 1.08. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $23.14 and its 200 day moving average is $24.95. Highwoods Properties has a twelve month low of $20.45 and a twelve month high of $32.76.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $214.03 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $209.06 million. Highwoods Properties had a return on equity of 3.97% and a net margin of 11.64%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.68 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Highwoods Properties will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 22nd that allows the company to buyback $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the real estate investment trust to repurchase up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 238.10%.

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.