216,686 Shares in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) Purchased by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a stake in Highwoods Properties, Inc. valued at approximately $6.42 million, owning about 0.20% of the company as of the latest reporting period.
• Highwoods Properties reported $0.83 earnings per share for the last quarter, slightly above the consensus estimate of $0.82, despite a 5.2% decrease in revenue year-over-year.
• The firm has announced a $0.50 quarterly dividend, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 6.62%, with a payout ratio of 124.22%.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 216,686 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $6,423,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.20% of Highwoods Properties at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. POM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Highwoods Properties in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in Highwoods Properties during the 4th quarter worth $59,000. Spirit of America Management Corp NY purchased a new position in Highwoods Properties during the 1st quarter worth $59,000. State of Wyoming grew its stake in Highwoods Properties by 88.4% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 3,137 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 1,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FIL Ltd increased its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 3,744 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 791 shares during the period. 96.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Highwoods Properties Stock Performance

Shares of Highwoods Properties stock traded down $1.21 on Wednesday, hitting $29.04. The stock had a trading volume of 2,701,455 shares, compared to its average volume of 712,113. The company's 50 day moving average price is $30.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The stock has a market cap of $3.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.40 and a beta of 1.21. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a 52-week low of $24.18 and a 52-week high of $36.78.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $200.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $203.22 million. Highwoods Properties had a return on equity of 5.56% and a net margin of 16.15%. Highwoods Properties's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Highwoods Properties, Inc. will post 3.36 EPS for the current year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Highwoods Properties's payout ratio is currently 124.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $35.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Truist Financial cut Highwoods Properties from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $32.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Highwoods Properties from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on Highwoods Properties from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $32.00.

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.