Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $30.86.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho boosted their price target on Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Highwoods Properties from $35.00 to $31.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st.

Highwoods Properties Price Performance

NYSE:HIW opened at $29.73 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.31. The company has a 50-day moving average of $30.43 and a 200-day moving average of $31.60. Highwoods Properties has a 52 week low of $21.46 and a 52 week high of $36.78. The company has a market capitalization of $3.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19 and a beta of 1.24.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.73%. Highwoods Properties’s payout ratio is 149.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Highwoods Properties

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its position in Highwoods Properties by 184.7% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 27,048 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $906,000 after purchasing an additional 17,548 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D acquired a new position in Highwoods Properties in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,085,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 436.3% in the third quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 215,724 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $7,229,000 after acquiring an additional 175,499 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 65.1% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,562 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $220,000 after acquiring an additional 2,587 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 141.2% during the 3rd quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. now owns 36,647 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,228,000 after acquiring an additional 21,455 shares during the last quarter. 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.