Janus Henderson Group PLC Grows Position in Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW

Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) by 6.4% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,639,419 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 98,531 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Highwoods Properties were worth $35,139,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Amundi lifted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 12.4% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 83,582 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,789,000 after acquiring an additional 9,245 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 27.8% in the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 131,276 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,811,000 after acquiring an additional 28,522 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 1.7% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 150,747 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,228,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 14.3% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 22,742 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $487,000 after purchasing an additional 2,846 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its position in Highwoods Properties by 133.8% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 1,808,104 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,712,000 after purchasing an additional 1,034,694 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HIW has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Highwoods Properties from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Truist Financial increased their price target on Highwoods Properties from $23.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Highwoods Properties from $23.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Highwoods Properties has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.00.

Highwoods Properties Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HIW opened at $33.13 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $30.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.13. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a twelve month low of $20.45 and a twelve month high of $35.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.66 billion, a PE ratio of 21.80 and a beta of 1.05.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by ($0.01). Highwoods Properties had a return on equity of 7.06% and a net margin of 20.74%.The business had revenue of $216.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $212.15 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.460-3.700 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Highwoods Properties, Inc. will post 3.53 EPS for the current year.

Highwoods Properties announced that its board has approved 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 repurchase up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 131.58%.

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.