Cohen & Steers Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW

Cohen & Steers Inc. decreased its holdings in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) by 10.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,354,823 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 1,460,014 shares during the quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. owned about 0.11% of Highwoods Properties worth $319,031,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 88.6% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 792 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares during the period. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its position in Highwoods Properties by 921.4% during the third quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 858 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 774 shares during the period. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new position in Highwoods Properties during the third quarter valued at $37,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in Highwoods Properties during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Highwoods Properties by 292.5% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,680 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 1,252 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

Highwoods Properties Stock Performance

Shares of Highwoods Properties stock opened at $29.81 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.49 and a beta of 1.09. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a 12 month low of $20.45 and a 12 month high of $32.76.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $214.03 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $209.06 million. Highwoods Properties had a return on equity of 3.97% and a net margin of 11.64%.Highwoods Properties’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.83 EPS. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.68 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Highwoods Properties, Inc. will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. Highwoods Properties’s payout ratio is currently 238.10%.

Highwoods Properties declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 22nd that authorizes the company to repurchase $250.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the real estate investment trust to buy up to 9.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on HIW. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley raised Highwoods Properties from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $24.00 to $23.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Truist Financial lowered their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen raised Highwoods Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $29.00 price objective on Highwoods Properties in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Highwoods Properties presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.33.

About Highwoods Properties

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.