KBC Group NV Has $2.77 Million Holdings in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW)

KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW - Free Report) by 2,499.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 90,610 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 87,124 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned about 0.09% of Highwoods Properties worth $2,771,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIW. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 47.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,752 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 1,531 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Highwoods Properties by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 13,202 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $404,000 after purchasing an additional 855 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 16,025 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 1,970 shares in the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Highwoods Properties in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $822,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Highwoods Properties by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 70,906 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,168,000 after buying an additional 3,362 shares in the last quarter. 96.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Highwoods Properties Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HIW traded down $0.30 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $29.10. 1,876,226 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 847,165. Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a 12 month low of $21.46 and a 12 month high of $36.78. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $30.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.66. 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 firm has a market cap of $3.09 billion, a PE ratio of 21.72 and a beta of 1.24.

Highwoods Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.87%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Highwoods Properties's dividend payout ratio is 149.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on HIW shares. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Highwoods Properties from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Robert W. Baird raised 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. 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, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.86.

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.