SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 79,128 Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

SG Americas Securities LLC decreased its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 81.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 17,846 shares of the company’s stock after selling 79,128 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $313,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HST has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective 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. Compass Point raised Host Hotels & Resorts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $18.00 to $22.00 in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.96.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts stock opened at $16.39 on Wednesday. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 52 week low of $15.71 and a 52 week high of $21.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 2.90 and a current ratio of 2.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.91 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $17.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.53.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.41 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.