Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Acquires 967 Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 182,193 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 967 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $3,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,000 after purchasing an additional 854 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the third quarter valued at $563,000. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the third quarter valued at $445,000. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 47.8% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 124,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,999,000 after acquiring an additional 40,200 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Equity Partners raised its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 36,680 shares of the company’s stock worth $589,000 after acquiring an additional 2,202 shares in the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on HST. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.33.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts stock opened at $19.00 on Tuesday. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.92 and a 52 week high of $21.31. The company has a quick ratio of 3.29, a current ratio of 3.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $20.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $18.86. The company has a market cap of $13.37 billion, a PE ratio of 18.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.31.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.25). Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 13.93% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.44 earnings per share. Host Hotels & Resorts’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 28th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This is a positive change from Host Hotels & Resorts’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.21%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Host Hotels & Resorts

In other Host Hotels & Resorts news, CEO James F. Risoleo sold 28,136 shares of Host Hotels & Resorts stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.04, for a total transaction of $591,981.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,225,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,826,140.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts 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.