Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,220,000 shares, a growth of 19.2% from the December 31st total of 4,380,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 989,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.3 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Highwoods Properties

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quarry LP bought a new position in Highwoods Properties during the 3rd quarter worth $48,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Highwoods Properties by 124.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,434 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 1,351 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 2,350 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,167 shares during the last quarter. 96.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on HIW shares. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Highwoods Properties from $35.00 to $31.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Mizuho boosted their price target 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 increased their price objective on shares of 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 target price on shares of Highwoods Properties from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Highwoods Properties presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $30.86.

Highwoods Properties Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of HIW stock traded down $0.09 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $29.05. 794,002 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 844,852. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $30.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.66. Highwoods Properties has a one year low of $21.46 and a one year high of $36.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.68 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.31.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Highwoods Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 149.25%.

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.