Mizuho Issues Positive Forecast for Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) Stock Price

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) had its price target increased by Mizuho from $24.00 to $29.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Highwoods Properties from $35.00 to $31.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Highwoods Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $31.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $30.86.

Highwoods Properties Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:HIW opened at $29.21 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a PE ratio of 21.80 and a beta of 1.24. Highwoods Properties has a 1 year low of $21.37 and a 1 year high of $36.78. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $31.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.30.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.88 by ($0.74). Highwoods Properties had a return on equity of 6.05% and a net margin of 17.40%. The company had revenue of $204.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $204.96 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.93 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Highwoods Properties will post 3.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Highwoods Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 149.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Highwoods Properties

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Highwoods Properties during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,052 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 269.8% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,221 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 2,350 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 55.8% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $109,000 after buying an additional 1,167 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 35.1% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 4,114 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $135,000 after buying an additional 1,069 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.31% of the company’s stock.

Highwoods Properties Company Profile

Highwoods Properties, Inc, headquartered in Raleigh, is a publicly-traded (NYSE:HIW), fully-integrated office real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, develops, acquires, leases and manages properties primarily in the best business districts (BBDs) of Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Nashville, Orlando, Raleigh, Richmond and Tampa.