National Bank of Canada FI Increases Stock Position in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 130.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 826,901 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 468,339 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned approximately 0.12% of Host Hotels & Resorts worth $14,487,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Verition Fund Management LLC increased its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 123.4% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 65,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,156,000 after purchasing an additional 36,278 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the third quarter worth $540,000. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at $375,000. Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the 4th quarter valued at $1,457,000. Finally, Vert Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Vert Asset Management LLC now owns 309,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,421,000 after acquiring an additional 26,678 shares in the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:HST opened at $13.14 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $15.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.12. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a twelve month low of $12.27 and a twelve month high of $20.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 2.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $9.19 billion, a PE ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 1.26.

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

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.09%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 80.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley raised Host Hotels & Resorts from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $16.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Compass Point cut shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $20.00 to $18.00 in a report on Monday, March 10th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Raymond James dropped their price target 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, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $19.54.

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.