Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Consensus "Hold": Eight analysts cover HIW (six hold, two buy) with an average 1‑year price target of $27.67, while several firms have recently trimmed targets into the low‑to‑mid $20s (e.g., Citi to $24, Truist to $23, Morgan Stanley to $23), reflecting more cautious expectations.
• Earnings miss and dividend risk: HIW reported a large quarterly EPS miss ($0.26 vs. $0.84 expected) and slightly weaker revenue, and although it yields 8.4% ($2.00 annualized), the dividend payout ratio is 136.99%, suggesting the dividend may be unsustainably high despite FY2026 EPS guidance of 3.40–3.68.

Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the eight analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $27.6667.

Several research analysts recently commented on HIW shares. Robert W. Baird set a $29.00 price target on Highwoods Properties in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen raised Highwoods Properties from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Citigroup reduced their price target on Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Highwoods Properties from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Highwoods Properties from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $24.00 to $23.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st.

Highwoods Properties Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE HIW opened at $23.89 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.65. The company has a market capitalization of $2.63 billion, a PE ratio of 16.36 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. Highwoods Properties has a 12 month low of $20.45 and a 12 month high of $32.76.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by ($0.58). Highwoods Properties had a return on equity of 6.86% and a net margin of 20.10%.The business had revenue of $203.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $208.08 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.85 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.680 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Highwoods Properties will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.4%. Highwoods Properties's dividend payout ratio is currently 136.99%.

Institutional Trading of Highwoods Properties

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Highwoods Properties by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,903,497 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $436,448,000 after buying an additional 407,406 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in Highwoods Properties by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,699,130 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $172,972,000 after buying an additional 81,348 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Highwoods Properties by 3.4% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,302,750 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $200,554,000 after buying an additional 205,761 shares during the period. Aew Capital Management L P raised its stake in Highwoods Properties by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Aew Capital Management L P now owns 2,433,243 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $62,826,000 after buying an additional 88,672 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in Highwoods Properties by 0.7% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 2,205,348 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $70,174,000 after buying an additional 14,410 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.31% of the company's stock.

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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