By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,220,000 shares, an increase of 19.2% from the December 31st total of 4,380,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 989,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.3 days.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
HIW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Highwoods Properties from $35.00 to $31.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Mizuho upped their price objective on Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Highwoods Properties from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Highwoods Properties currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.86.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Highwoods Properties
Institutional Trading of Highwoods Properties
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,052 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $93,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 5.7% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 9,254 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 495 shares during the period. Presima Securities ULC increased its position in Highwoods Properties by 1.0% during the third quarter. Presima Securities ULC now owns 52,536 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,760,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in Highwoods Properties by 2.4% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 21,537 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $566,000 after buying an additional 511 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC raised its stake in Highwoods Properties by 7.8% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,641 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $290,000 after buying an additional 624 shares during the period. 96.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Highwoods Properties Stock Up 0.6 %
HIW stock traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $29.73. The company had a trading volume of 1,033,770 shares, compared to its average volume of 707,320. The company has a market capitalization of $3.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19 and a beta of 1.24. Highwoods Properties has a 52 week low of $21.46 and a 52 week high of $36.78. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 1.31.
Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.73%. Highwoods Properties’s payout ratio is 149.25%.
About Highwoods Properties
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.
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