Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW Shares Sold by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Key Points

• Daiwa Securities Group trimmed its Highwoods Properties stake by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 86,113 shares and leaving it with 2.12 million shares worth about $54.7 million.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed: analysts currently rate HIW a consensus Hold, with a consensus price target of $27.33, though some firms like Deutsche Bank still have a Buy rating.
• Highwoods posted solid quarterly results and shareholder returns, beating earnings and revenue estimates, while also announcing a $0.50 quarterly dividend and a new $250 million share repurchase program.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lowered its stake in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,119,235 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 86,113 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. owned about 1.93% of Highwoods Properties worth $54,719,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of HIW. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 921.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 858 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 774 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in Highwoods Properties in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in Highwoods Properties in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 292.5% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,680 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,252 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Highwoods Properties from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their price target for the company from $24.00 to $23.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $25.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $29.00 price target on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $27.33.

Highwoods Properties Stock Performance

Highwoods Properties stock opened at $27.59 on Friday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $24.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.77. The company has a market cap of $3.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.84 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.50. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $20.45 and a fifty-two week high of $32.76.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $214.03 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $209.06 million. Highwoods Properties had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 3.97%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.83 earnings per share. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.68 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Highwoods Properties, Inc. will post 3.53 EPS for the current year.

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.2%. Highwoods Properties's dividend payout ratio is currently 238.10%.

Highwoods Properties declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 22nd that allows the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the real estate investment trust to reacquire up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.

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