Hsbc Holdings PLC Raises Stake in Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW

Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) by 34.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 221,609 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 56,931 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Highwoods Properties were worth $5,724,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Highwoods Properties during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,251,000. GRS Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 64.1% in the 3rd quarter. GRS Advisors LLC now owns 2,046,809 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $65,129,000 after acquiring an additional 799,339 shares during the last quarter. Bayhunt Capital LLC acquired a new position in Highwoods Properties in the 4th quarter valued at $13,125,000. Gotham Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 worth $28,965,000 after purchasing an additional 426,241 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,903,497 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $436,448,000 after purchasing an additional 407,406 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Highwoods Properties from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Highwoods Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. 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, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Highwoods Properties from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $24.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.11.

Highwoods Properties Price Performance

HIW stock opened at $31.56 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.48 billion, a PE ratio of 37.57 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $27.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.36. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.45 and a 12-month high of $32.76.

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

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. Highwoods Properties’s payout ratio is presently 238.10%.

Highwoods Properties declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan 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 repurchase up to 9.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors 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.