Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $20.54.

A number of equities analysts have commented on HST shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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 reduced their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Raymond James cut their price target on 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. StockNews.com lowered Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Host Hotels & Resorts

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. National Pension Service acquired a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 202.6% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 1,088 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 94.9% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,035 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 991 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HST opened at $16.34 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $17.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.49. Host Hotels & Resorts has a fifty-two week low of $15.71 and a fifty-two week high of $21.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.51 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 2.90.

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

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.90%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is 80.81%.

Host Hotels & Resorts Company 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.