Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $54.72 Million Position in Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lowered its position in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,119,235 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 86,113 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Highwoods Properties were worth $54,719,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIW. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 12.7% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 177,942 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,275,000 after buying an additional 19,998 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 15.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 822,655 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $24,383,000 after buying an additional 110,489 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 10.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,243 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $393,000 after buying an additional 1,248 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 292.5% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,680 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 1,252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 9.4% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 17,846 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $555,000 after buying an additional 1,534 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Highwoods Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Morgan Stanley upgraded Highwoods Properties from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $24.00 to $23.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Mizuho lowered their price target on Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $29.00 price target on Highwoods Properties in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.33.

Highwoods Properties Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of HIW stock opened at $27.59 on Friday. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a 12 month low of $20.45 and a 12 month high of $32.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The business’s 50 day moving average is $24.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.77. The company has a market cap of $3.04 billion, a PE ratio of 32.84 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.2%. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 238.10%.

Highwoods Properties announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 22nd that authorizes the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the real estate investment trust to buy up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Highwoods Properties 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.