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

Shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $30.71.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on HIW shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Highwoods Properties from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $35.00 to $31.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th.

Highwoods Properties Stock Performance

NYSE:HIW opened at $29.46 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.17 billion, a PE ratio of 31.01 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $29.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. Highwoods Properties has a 12 month low of $23.14 and a 12 month high of $36.78.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.85. Highwoods Properties had a return on equity of 4.33% and a net margin of 12.37%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Highwoods Properties will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.79%. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 210.53%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HIW. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 131.0% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,708,996 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $90,778,000 after purchasing an additional 1,536,067 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Highwoods Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,727,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Highwoods Properties by 512.9% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,274,443 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $38,961,000 after acquiring an additional 1,066,508 shares during the period. Aew Capital Management L P purchased a new stake in Highwoods Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,250,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Highwoods Properties by 40.9% in the 3rd 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 period. 96.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Highwoods Properties

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.