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

Shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eight brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $30.75.

HIW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Highwoods Properties from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Highwoods Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $29.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Highwoods Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Highwoods Properties

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HIW. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,903,497 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $436,448,000 after purchasing an additional 407,406 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 1.3% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,564,027 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $204,076,000 after buying an additional 86,506 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 3.4% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,302,750 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $200,554,000 after buying an additional 205,761 shares in the last quarter. Aew Capital Management L P lifted its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 95.4% in the third quarter. Aew Capital Management L P now owns 2,344,571 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $74,604,000 after buying an additional 1,144,991 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 0.7% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 2,205,348 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $70,174,000 after buying an additional 14,410 shares during the last quarter. 96.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Highwoods Properties Stock Performance

Highwoods Properties stock opened at $25.97 on Friday. Highwoods Properties has a fifty-two week low of $24.18 and a fifty-two week high of $32.76. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $26.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market cap of $2.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19 and a beta of 1.06.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.7%. Highwoods Properties’s payout ratio is presently 170.94%.

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.