McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. Purchases New Shares in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW)

McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,090 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $155,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 21,537 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $566,000 after purchasing an additional 511 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 7.8% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,641 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the period. Creative Planning increased its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 13.6% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 49,684 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,665,000 after buying an additional 5,932 shares in the last quarter. Presima Securities ULC raised its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Presima Securities ULC now owns 52,536 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,760,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 269.8% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,221 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 2,350 shares in the last quarter. 96.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Highwoods Properties Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HIW opened at $28.52 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.28 and a beta of 1.24. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.60 and a 52 week high of $36.78.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85. Highwoods Properties had a net margin of 17.40% and a return on equity of 6.05%. On average, equities analysts predict that Highwoods Properties, Inc. will post 3.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 149.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on HIW shares. Mizuho boosted their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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 note on Monday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased 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 note on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Highwoods Properties presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.86.

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.