Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 789,452 Shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA trimmed its position in shares of Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) by 12.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,513,298 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 789,452 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 0.05% of Highwoods Properties worth $142,353,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HIW. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 88.6% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 792 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares during the period. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Highwoods Properties by 921.4% during the third quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 858 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 774 shares during the period. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in Highwoods Properties during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Avalon Trust Co bought a new position in Highwoods Properties during the third quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. bought a new position in Highwoods Properties during the third quarter valued at $49,000. 96.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Highwoods Properties Price Performance

NYSE:HIW opened at $22.46 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.38 and a beta of 1.05. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.45 and a 52-week high of $32.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $22.63 and a 200 day moving average of $26.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by ($0.58). The business had revenue of $203.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $208.08 million. Highwoods Properties had a net margin of 20.10% and a return on equity of 6.86%. Highwoods Properties’s quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.85 EPS. Highwoods Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.680 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Highwoods Properties, Inc. will post 3.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.9%. Highwoods Properties’s payout ratio is 136.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on HIW. Robert W. Baird set a $29.00 price objective on Highwoods Properties in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Thursday, February 19th. 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, Morgan Stanley raised Highwoods Properties from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $24.00 to $23.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.67.

About Highwoods Properties

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.