Highwoods Provides Quarter-to-Date Second Generation Leasing Update

Highwoods Properties, Inc. HIW announced that it has signed more than 750,000 square feet of second-generation leases from the beginning of the second quarter through June 2, 2025. These includes more than 300,000 square feet of new leases.

Per Ted Klinck, president & CEO of HIW, “New users and existing customers continue to value our commute-worthy portfolio in BBD locations. The healthy volume of leases executed in the first five months of the year and pipeline of future prospects positions us to grow occupancy late in 2025 and thereafter.”

HIW: In a Nutshell

Highwoods is seeing a recovery in demand for its high-quality, well-placed office properties as highlighted by a rebound in new leasing volume. With an increasing number of organizations emphasizing return-to-office mandates, the demand for high-quality office spaces is picking up, propelling leasing activity.

During the first quarter of 2025, the company signed approximately 691,000 square feet of second-generation leases. This includes new leases spanning nearly 244,000 square feet.

Highwoods’ well-diversified tenant base, efforts to expand in the high-growth markets and balance sheet strength are its key growth drivers. However, competition from other players is likely to limit its pricing power and hurt profitability. High interest expenses add to its woes.

Over the past three months, shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have gained 8.4% against the industry's decline of 1.3%.

Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked stocks from the broader REIT sector are VICI Properties VICI and W.P. Carey WPC, each currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for VICI’s 2025 FFO per share has moved one cent northward to $2.34 over the past two months.

The consensus estimate for WPC’s 2025 FFO per share has been revised upward by 1% to $4.88 over the past month.

Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents FFO, a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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