Associated Banc Corp Sells 1,690 Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Associated Banc Corp decreased its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,985 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,690 shares during the period. Associated Banc Corp’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $368,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. National Pension Service bought a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 202.6% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,088 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 94.9% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 991 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Institutional investors own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts Price Performance

HST opened at $14.91 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $16.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 2.90 and a current ratio of 1.91. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.47 and a 52 week high of $21.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.42 billion, a PE ratio of 15.06 and a beta of 1.30.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.29. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 12.26% and a return on equity of 10.37%. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.37 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 80.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Compass Point cut shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $20.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Stifel Nicolaus cut 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 research note on Friday, November 22nd. Raymond James cut their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Host Hotels & Resorts currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.21.

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.