Barclays PLC Sells 418,514 Shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW)

Barclays PLC cut its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW - Free Report) by 86.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 66,854 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 418,514 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 0.06% of Highwoods Properties worth $2,044,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 142,310 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $4,352,000 after purchasing an additional 1,491 shares during the last quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 143,814 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $4,398,000 after buying an additional 677 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management boosted its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 37.1% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 905,900 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $27,702,000 after acquiring an additional 245,200 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Highwoods Properties in the fourth quarter valued at about $6,565,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC raised its stake in Highwoods Properties by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 32,018 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $979,000 after purchasing an additional 747 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.31% of the company's stock.

Highwoods Properties Price Performance

Highwoods Properties stock traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $29.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 368,244 shares, compared to its average volume of 908,727. The stock has a market cap of $3.16 billion, a PE ratio of 30.81 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a 52 week low of $24.07 and a 52 week high of $36.78. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $28.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $30.00.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $200.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $201.31 million. Highwoods Properties had a net margin of 12.37% and a return on equity of 4.33%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Highwoods Properties, Inc. will post 3.36 EPS for the current year.

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.83%. Highwoods Properties's dividend payout ratio is currently 124.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on HIW shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Highwoods Properties from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Highwoods Properties in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $32.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho increased their target price on Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price target on Highwoods Properties from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $32.50.

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.