Highwoods Provides Leasing Update

2^nd Gen Leasing Activity Continues to be Strong

738,000 SF of Leases Signed to Date in Third Quarter

Includes over 400,000 SF of New Leases

RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HIW) announced it has signed 738,000 square feet of second generation leases since July 1, 2024, including over 400,000 square feet of new leases.

Included in the quarterly activity is a long-term lease for 104,000 square feet at Two Alliance Center in Atlanta's Buckhead BBD with a new customer for Highwoods. The lease, which is expected to commence in 2026, will backfill a significant portion of a customer who vacated the building in the third quarter of 2024.    

Ted Klinck, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Leasing activity continues to be robust across our portfolio as office users are gravitating towards the highest quality buildings with the best capitalized landlords. This volume of work will largely benefit the Company starting in mid-2025 and thereafter. Thus far in 2024, we've signed 37% more new deals than all of 2023, and we remain encouraged by the momentum in our leasing pipeline."  

About Highwoods

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. Highwoods is in the work-placemaking business. We believe that by creating environments and experiences where the best and brightest can achieve together what they cannot apart, we can deliver greater value to our customers, their teammates and, in turn, our stakeholders. For more information about Highwoods, please visit our website at www.highwoods.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the information in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. Such statements include, in particular, statements about our plans, strategies and prospects such as the following: the expected financial and operational results and the related assumptions underlying our expected results; the planned sales of non-core assets and expected pricing and impact with respect to such sales, including the tax impact of such sales; the anticipated total investment, projected leasing activity, estimated replacement cost and expected net operating income of acquired properties and properties to be developed; and expected future leverage of the Company. You can identify forward-looking statements by our use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue" or other similar words. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that our plans, intentions or expectations will be achieved.

Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from Highwoods' current expectations include, among others, the following: the financial condition of our customers could deteriorate; our assumptions regarding potential losses related to customer financial difficulties could prove incorrect; counterparties under our debt instruments, particularly our revolving credit facility, may attempt to avoid their obligations thereunder, which, if successful, would reduce our available liquidity; we may not be able to lease or re-lease second generation space, defined as previously occupied space that becomes available for lease, quickly or on as favorable terms as old leases; we may not be able to lease newly constructed buildings as quickly or on as favorable terms as originally anticipated; we may not be able to complete development, acquisition, reinvestment, disposition or joint venture projects as quickly or on as favorable terms as anticipated; development activity in our existing markets could result in an excessive supply relative to customer demand; our markets may suffer declines in economic and/or office employment growth; unanticipated increases in interest rates could increase our debt service costs; unanticipated increases in operating expenses could negatively impact our operating results; natural disasters and climate change could have an adverse impact on our cash flow and operating results; we may not be able to meet our liquidity requirements or obtain capital on favorable terms to fund our working capital needs and growth initiatives or repay or refinance outstanding debt upon maturity; and the Company could lose key executive officers.

This list of risks and uncertainties, however, is not intended to be exhaustive. You should also review the other cautionary statements we make in "Risk Factors" set forth in our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect any future events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.