Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) Downgraded to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Thursday.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $20.00 to $18.00 in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Host Hotels & Resorts currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.21.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ:HST traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $17.40. The stock had a trading volume of 2,467,254 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,788,368. The company has a market cap of $12.16 billion, a PE ratio of 16.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.72. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 1-year low of $15.71 and a 1-year high of $21.31. The company has a current ratio of 2.90, a quick ratio of 4.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.24). Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 12.92% and a return on equity of 10.72%. The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.41 earnings per share. Host Hotels & Resorts’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Host Hotels & Resorts will post 1.96 EPS for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.60%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is currently 77.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Host Hotels & Resorts

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Investment Management Corp of Ontario lifted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 4.5% in the third quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 181,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,198,000 after buying an additional 7,800 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts in the third quarter worth about $540,000. Heitman Real Estate Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts in the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,501,000. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 478,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,413,000 after purchasing an additional 33,274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 36,278 shares during the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Host Hotels & Resorts

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.