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

Shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $30.86.

Several research firms recently commented on HIW. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Highwoods Properties from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Highwoods Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $31.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Highwoods Properties from $35.00 to $31.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd.

Highwoods Properties Price Performance

Shares of HIW opened at $29.23 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.31. Highwoods Properties has a 52 week low of $21.37 and a 52 week high of $36.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.81 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $31.46 and a 200-day moving average of $31.28.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.88 by ($0.74). The firm had revenue of $204.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $204.96 million. Highwoods Properties had a net margin of 17.40% and a return on equity of 6.05%. Highwoods Properties’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.93 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Highwoods Properties will post 3.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio is 149.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Highwoods Properties

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Highwoods Properties during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,052 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $93,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 269.8% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,221 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 2,350 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 55.8% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 1,167 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Highwoods Properties by 35.1% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 4,114 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,069 shares in the last quarter. 96.31% of the stock is currently owned by 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.