Highwoods Properties, Inc. (HIW) - What Are Investment Firms Thinking About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is neutral: All eight covering firms rate Highwoods Properties “Hold,” with an average 12-month price target of $32.
• Quarterly results topped estimates: Highwoods reported EPS of $0.29 versus the $0.21 consensus and revenue of $218.18 million, up 8.1% year over year.
• The REIT declared a $0.50 quarterly dividend: That equals $2.00 annually, a 6.4% yield; its reported dividend payout ratio is 118.34%.

Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the eight research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $32.00.

HIW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Highwoods Properties from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $33.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Huntington initiated coverage on Highwoods Properties in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Mizuho set a $32.00 price target on Highwoods Properties in a report on Tuesday, September 8th.

Highwoods Properties Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:HIW opened at $31.49 on Friday. Highwoods Properties has a twelve month low of $20.45 and a twelve month high of $35.44. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $30.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.63. The company has a market cap of $3.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.64 and a beta of 1.08.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $218.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $216.39 million. Highwoods Properties had a net margin of 22.56% and a return on equity of 7.68%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Highwoods Properties will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 8th. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. Highwoods Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 118.34%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Highwoods Properties

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIW. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Highwoods Properties during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 752.0% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 940 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Highwoods Properties in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in shares of Highwoods Properties in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Highwoods Properties in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 96.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Highwoods Properties Company Profile

Highwoods Properties, Inc NYSE: HIW is a real estate investment trust that owns, develops, leases and manages primarily office properties. Its portfolio includes office towers, campuses and mixed-use assets designed to serve businesses across a range of industries.

The company focuses on select high-growth markets in the U.S. Sun Belt, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Orlando, Raleigh, Richmond and Tampa. In addition to leasing office space, Highwoods provides property management, development and tenant-support services for its buildings and commercial real estate customers.

Highwoods Properties is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.