Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) Hits New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $13.38 and last traded at $13.38, with a volume of 3637827 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $14.65.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on HST shares. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $16.00 to $15.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group decreased their price target on 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. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $19.54.

Host Hotels & Resorts Trading Down 1.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 2.90 and a current ratio of 1.91. The company has a market capitalization of $9.19 billion, a PE ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 1.26. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $15.75 and a 200 day moving average of $17.12.

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

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.09%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 80.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Host Hotels & Resorts

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 696.3% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 2,047 shares during the last quarter. Franchise Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the first quarter valued at $109,000. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 1,496,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,212,000 after purchasing an additional 89,535 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 46.8% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 52,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $911,000 after purchasing an additional 16,578 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ purchased a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the 4th quarter worth $2,629,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

About Host Hotels & Resorts

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.