Natixis Advisors LLC Grows Stake in Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) by 35.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 150,693 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 39,652 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.14% of Highwoods Properties worth $3,891,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HIW. Aew Capital Management L P grew its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 95.4% during the third quarter. Aew Capital Management L P now owns 2,344,571 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $74,604,000 after purchasing an additional 1,144,991 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Highwoods Properties during the fourth quarter worth about $26,251,000. GRS Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 64.1% during the third quarter. GRS Advisors LLC now owns 2,046,809 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $65,129,000 after purchasing an additional 799,339 shares in the last quarter. Bayhunt Capital LLC purchased a new position in Highwoods Properties during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $13,125,000. Finally, Gotham Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 88.1% during the 3rd quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 910,271 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,965,000 after buying an additional 426,241 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

Highwoods Properties Price Performance

Shares of HIW stock opened at $29.93 on Wednesday. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.45 and a 52-week high of $32.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 1.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.63 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $24.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.80.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.13. Highwoods Properties had a return on equity of 3.97% and a net margin of 11.64%.The firm had revenue of $214.03 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $209.06 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.83 EPS. Highwoods Properties’s quarterly revenue 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. As a group, sell-side 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.7%. Highwoods Properties’s payout ratio is 238.10%.

Highwoods Properties announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 22nd that permits the company to buyback $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the real estate investment trust to purchase up to 9.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on HIW. 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 cut their price target for the company from $24.00 to $23.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Robert W. Baird set a $29.00 price target on Highwoods Properties in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Truist Financial cut their price target on Highwoods Properties from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Highwoods Properties has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.33.

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.