Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) Stock Position Lowered by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems lessened its position in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 48,271 shares of the company’s stock after selling 665 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $846,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 606,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,668,000 after acquiring an additional 113,761 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its position 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 worth $1,156,000 after buying an additional 36,278 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $540,000. LMR Partners LLP purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,775,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $639,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HST opened at $16.25 on Tuesday. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 1 year low of $15.71 and a 1 year high of $21.31. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $17.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.49. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $11.36 billion, a PE ratio of 16.41 and a beta of 1.30.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.37 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.88 EPS for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.92%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is presently 80.81%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HST shares. 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. 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 report on Tuesday, February 18th. 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 report on Tuesday, February 18th. 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Host Hotels & Resorts currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.54.

Host Hotels & Resorts 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.