Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) Now Covered by Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) in a report issued on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $32.00 price target on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Highwoods Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Mizuho raised their price objective 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. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Highwoods Properties has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.86.

Highwoods Properties Stock Up 3.0 %

NYSE:HIW opened at $29.05 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $3.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.57 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. Highwoods Properties has a fifty-two week low of $23.52 and a fifty-two week high of $36.78. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.30.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last announced its quarterly 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%. Analysts predict that Highwoods Properties will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Highwoods Properties

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,052 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 327 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,105 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the period. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 15,001 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $455,000 after buying an additional 593 shares during the period. Everhart Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 11,719 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 660 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 375.0% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 855 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 675 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

About Highwoods Properties

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.