54,662 Shares in Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW Acquired by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 54,662 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $1,649,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 88.6% in 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 purchasing an additional 372 shares during the period. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 752.0% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 940 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP bought a new stake in shares of Highwoods Properties during the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 292.5% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,680 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 1,252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 1,469 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HIW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Highwoods Properties from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Highwoods Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $33.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Highwoods Properties from $23.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Highwoods Properties has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.33.

Highwoods Properties Stock Performance

HIW opened at $31.10 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.46 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a fifty day moving average of $31.88 and a 200 day moving average of $27.07. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $20.45 and a fifty-two week high of $35.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 1.68.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $216.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $212.15 million. Highwoods Properties had a net margin of 20.74% and a return on equity of 7.06%. The business’s revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.460-3.700 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Highwoods Properties, Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Highwoods Properties’s payout ratio is 131.58%.

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.