Analysts Set Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) PT at $21.19

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $21.04.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HST. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Compass Point raised Host Hotels & Resorts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $18.00 to $22.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 17th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Host Hotels & Resorts

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pensionfund Sabic boosted its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 53,843 shares of the company’s stock valued at $943,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 42.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 12,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $215,000 after purchasing an additional 3,684 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 27.1% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 31,038 shares of the company’s stock valued at $546,000 after buying an additional 6,611 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the 3rd quarter valued at about $182,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 23.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 25,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $467,000 after buying an additional 4,870 shares in the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Host Hotels & Resorts Price Performance

NASDAQ HST opened at $17.05 on Friday. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 12 month low of $15.71 and a 12 month high of $21.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.92 billion, a PE ratio of 16.55 and a beta of 1.31. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 2.90 and a quick ratio of 2.90.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.29 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 12.92% and a return on equity of 10.72%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Host Hotels & Resorts will post 1.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.69%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.67%.

Host Hotels & Resorts Company Profile

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc is an S&P 500 company and is the largest lodging real estate investment trust and one of the largest owners of luxury and upper-upscale hotels. The Company currently owns 72 properties in the United States and five properties internationally totaling approximately 42,000 rooms.