Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Raises Position in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 45.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,200 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,800 shares during the quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $213,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 537.4% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,893,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,318,000 after purchasing an additional 5,811,722 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 66.9% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 13,637,328 shares of the company’s stock worth $240,017,000 after buying an additional 5,466,629 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 155.2% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,610,981 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,305,000 after acquiring an additional 3,412,589 shares in the last quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. grew its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 92.9% during the 3rd quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 2,764,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,652,000 after acquiring an additional 1,331,407 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $17,586,000. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Down 1.8 %

HST stock opened at $14.69 on Friday. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.25 and a 52 week high of $20.98. The company has a market cap of $10.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.84 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $16.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 2.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

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. Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 10.37% and a net margin of 12.26%. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup dropped their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Compass Point cut shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $20.00 to $18.00 in a report on Monday, March 10th. UBS Group lowered 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Raymond James cut their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $19.54.

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.