Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $21.04.

Several analysts have weighed in on HST shares. Compass Point raised shares of 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. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Host Hotels & Resorts

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Pensionfund Sabic increased its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 53,843 shares of the company’s stock worth $943,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 42.9% during the fourth 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 raised its position 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 worth $546,000 after purchasing an additional 6,611 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts in the 3rd quarter valued at about $182,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 25,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $467,000 after buying an additional 4,870 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of HST opened at $16.96 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.90, a quick ratio of 2.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The firm has a market cap of $11.86 billion, a PE ratio of 16.47 and a beta of 1.31. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 12 month low of $15.71 and a 12 month high of $21.31. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $18.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.66.

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

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.