Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) Upgraded by Morgan Stanley to “Equal Weight” Rating

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report released on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. Morgan Stanley currently has $23.00 price target on the real estate investment trust’s stock, down from their previous price target of $24.00.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on HIW. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Highwoods Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.67.

Highwoods Properties Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HIW opened at $21.42 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.67 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.63. Highwoods Properties has a twelve month low of $20.45 and a twelve month high of $32.76.

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

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 136.99%.

Institutional Trading of Highwoods Properties

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HIW. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 88.6% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 792 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 921.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 858 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 774 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in Highwoods Properties during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new stake in Highwoods Properties during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. bought a new stake in Highwoods Properties in the 3rd quarter worth $49,000. Institutional investors own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

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.