Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $32.00 target price on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Highwoods Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.86.

Highwoods Properties Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of HIW opened at $29.05 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.57 and a beta of 1.25. Highwoods Properties has a 12-month low of $23.52 and a 12-month high of $36.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $29.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.30.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85. Highwoods Properties had a net margin of 12.37% and a return on equity of 4.33%. Equities research analysts expect that Highwoods Properties will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.89%. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 210.53%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Highwoods Properties

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in Highwoods Properties by 375.0% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 855 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Highwoods Properties in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $48,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new stake in Highwoods Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 124.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,434 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 1,351 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 363.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,972 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 2,331 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

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.