Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Sells 26,390 Shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio cut its position in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) by 14.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 158,868 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 26,390 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned 0.14% of Highwoods Properties worth $3,401,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 88.6% during 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 buying an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 292.5% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,680 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,252 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Highwoods Properties by 285.8% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,983 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 1,469 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Highwoods Properties by 97.4% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,242 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 1,106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 562.9% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,552 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 2,167 shares in the last quarter. 96.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on HIW shares. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $23.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Mizuho raised their target price on Highwoods Properties from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Highwoods Properties from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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, June 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price target on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Highwoods Properties has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.00.

Highwoods Properties Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of HIW opened at $33.84 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.26 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 1.68. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $30.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.09. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a 52 week low of $20.45 and a 52 week high of $35.44.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last released its 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 firm had revenue of $216.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $212.15 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.460-3.700 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Highwoods Properties, Inc. will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Highwoods Properties’s payout ratio is currently 238.10%.

Highwoods Properties declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 22nd that allows the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the real estate investment trust to buy up to 9.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are 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.