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

Shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $30.86.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Highwoods Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Highwoods Properties in a research note on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $32.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on Highwoods Properties from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th.

Highwoods Properties Price Performance

NYSE HIW opened at $29.05 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The business’s fifty day moving average is $29.15 and its 200 day moving average is $31.30. The company has a market capitalization of $3.13 billion, a PE ratio of 30.57 and a beta of 1.25. Highwoods Properties has a fifty-two week low of $23.52 and a fifty-two week high of $36.78.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85. Highwoods Properties had a return on equity of 4.33% and a net margin of 12.37%. Sell-side analysts predict that Highwoods Properties will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.89%. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 210.53%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HIW. State Street Corp lifted its position in Highwoods Properties by 1.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,289,806 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $244,281,000 after purchasing an additional 124,646 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Highwoods Properties by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,265,824 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $99,869,000 after acquiring an additional 556,828 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Highwoods Properties by 40.9% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,130,452 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $107,155,000 after acquiring an additional 908,401 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Highwoods Properties by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,133,242 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $65,235,000 after acquiring an additional 71,670 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,902,036 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $63,754,000 after purchasing an additional 12,958 shares during the last quarter. 96.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Highwoods Properties Company Profile

Highwoods Properties, Inc, headquartered in Raleigh, is a publicly-traded (NYSE:HIW), fully-integrated office real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, develops, acquires, leases and manages properties primarily in the best business districts (BBDs) of Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Nashville, Orlando, Raleigh, Richmond and Tampa.