Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 17,538 Shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW)

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW - Free Report) by 0.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,486,556 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 17,538 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 15.29% of Highwoods Properties worth $488,662,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HIW. LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 40,266 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,231,000 after buying an additional 2,931 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Highwoods Properties in the 4th quarter valued at $6,565,000. Mariner LLC increased its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 37,689 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,152,000 after buying an additional 2,404 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Highwoods Properties in the 4th quarter valued at $1,314,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 248,879 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $7,603,000 after buying an additional 12,722 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.31% of the company's stock.

Highwoods Properties Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of Highwoods Properties stock opened at $29.71 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a 12 month low of $24.18 and a 12 month high of $36.78. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.42. The stock has a market cap of $3.21 billion, a PE ratio of 24.97 and a beta of 1.21.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.04. Highwoods Properties had a return on equity of 5.57% and a net margin of 16.15%. The business had revenue of $200.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $203.22 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Highwoods Properties, Inc. will post 3.36 EPS for the current year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Highwoods Properties's payout ratio is presently 168.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on HIW. Wall Street Zen raised Highwoods Properties from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Highwoods Properties from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Highwoods Properties from $35.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Highwoods Properties presently 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HIW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.