BlackRock Inc. Invests $633.72 Million in Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW

Key Points

• BlackRock acquired a new $633.7 million stake in Highwoods Properties, purchasing 21.0 million shares and ending the quarter with approximately 19.05% ownership. Institutional investors collectively own 96.31% of the REIT.
• Analysts remain cautious, with one Buy rating and seven Hold ratings. Highwoods has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $31.67.
• Highwoods reported quarterly revenue of $216.38 million, up 7.9% year over year, but EPS of $0.85 narrowly missed estimates. The company declared a $0.50 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 6.4% yield, though its payout ratio is high at 131.58%.

BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 21,011,850 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $633,717,000. BlackRock Inc. owned about 19.05% of Highwoods Properties at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 88.6% in the 3rd 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 period. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 752.0% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 940 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Highwoods Properties by 292.5% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,680 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,252 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in Highwoods Properties by 285.8% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,983 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Highwoods Properties in the first quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HIW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Highwoods Properties from $23.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Highwoods Properties from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Highwoods Properties from $23.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $31.67.

Highwoods Properties Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of Highwoods Properties stock opened at $31.41 on Monday. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a 1-year low of $20.45 and a 1-year high of $35.44. The company has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a PE ratio of 20.66 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The business has a 50-day moving average of $31.53 and a 200-day moving average of $26.67.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.86 by ($0.01). Highwoods Properties had a return on equity of 7.06% and a net margin of 20.74%.The business had revenue of $216.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $212.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. The company's revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.460-3.700 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Highwoods Properties, Inc. will post 3.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. Highwoods Properties's dividend payout ratio is 131.58%.

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.

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