Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Increases Stock Position in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 56.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 12,119 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,391 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $212,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Freedom Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 3.0% in the third quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,594 shares of the company’s stock worth $380,000 after acquiring an additional 625 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 16,803 shares of the company’s stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 784 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 81,860 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,441,000 after purchasing an additional 812 shares in the last quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 27.1% in the 3rd quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 3,952 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 842 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 44.5% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,816 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 867 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Compass Point raised shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $18.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com downgraded Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.96.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts stock opened at $16.71 on Friday. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 1 year low of $15.71 and a 1 year high of $21.31. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $17.79 and its 200 day moving average is $17.56. The stock has a market cap of $11.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.22 and a beta of 1.31. 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 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). Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 12.92%. The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.41 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is 77.67%.

Host Hotels & Resorts Company Profile

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the management of luxury and upper-upscale hotels. It operates through the following geographical segments: United States, Brazil, and Canada. The company was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Bethesda, MD.