First Trust Advisors LP Increases Position in Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW

First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) by 33.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 150,178 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 37,848 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.14% of Highwoods Properties worth $3,215,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 127.6% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 13,803 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 7,738 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Highwoods Properties by 53.8% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,732 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $144,000 after purchasing an additional 2,355 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 2.1% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 217,502 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,657,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. raised its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 143.4% during the first quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 20,477 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $438,000 after purchasing an additional 12,064 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in Highwoods Properties by 21.3% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 51,095 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,094,000 after purchasing an additional 8,957 shares in the last quarter. 96.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Highwoods Properties Stock Performance

NYSE HIW opened at $31.53 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $30.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.29. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a twelve month low of $20.45 and a twelve month high of $35.44. The company has a market capitalization of $3.48 billion, a PE ratio of 20.74 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.86 by ($0.01). Highwoods Properties had a net margin of 20.74% and a return on equity of 7.06%. The business had revenue of $216.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $212.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. The firm’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. On average, research analysts predict that Highwoods Properties, Inc. will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 131.58%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on HIW shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Highwoods Properties from $23.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Highwoods Properties from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Highwoods Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $33.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $23.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $31.67.

Highwoods Properties Company Profile

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.