Allianz Asset Management GmbH Decreases Holdings in Highwoods Properties, Inc. $HIW

Allianz Asset Management GmbH decreased its stake in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) by 40.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 359,451 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 243,711 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Highwoods Properties were worth $11,438,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Inscription Capital LLC raised its stake in Highwoods Properties by 185.1% during the third quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 40,370 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,285,000 after buying an additional 26,211 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 3.4% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,302,750 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $200,554,000 after acquiring an additional 205,761 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in Highwoods Properties by 34.3% during the 2nd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 38,830 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,207,000 after purchasing an additional 9,910 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Highwoods Properties during the second quarter worth approximately $43,203,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC grew its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 38.4% in the second quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 123,169 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,573,000 after purchasing an additional 34,165 shares in the last quarter. 96.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on HIW shares. New Street Research set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Monday, October 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Highwoods Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Highwoods Properties from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Highwoods Properties in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Highwoods Properties currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.75.

Highwoods Properties Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of HIW stock opened at $26.03 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $26.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.64. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a 1 year low of $24.18 and a 1 year high of $32.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.25 and a beta of 1.06.

Highwoods Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.7%. Highwoods Properties’s payout ratio is currently 170.94%.

Highwoods Properties Company 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.