Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Acquires 84,799 Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 4,362.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 86,743 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 84,799 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $1,689,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. US Bancorp DE raised its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 44,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $856,000 after buying an additional 1,066 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the 1st quarter valued at $215,000. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC raised its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 14,652 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 1,034 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the 1st quarter valued at $624,000. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 82.0% during the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 85,212 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,656,000 after buying an additional 38,385 shares in the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Host Hotels & Resorts

In other Host Hotels & Resorts news, CEO James F. Risoleo sold 28,136 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.04, for a total value of $591,981.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,225,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,826,140.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on HST. Bank of America upgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $18.00 to $23.00 in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Raymond James lifted their target price 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. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. One research 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Host Hotels & Resorts currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.20.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:HST opened at $19.08 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $13.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 3.29, a current ratio of 3.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 52-week low of $14.92 and a 52-week high of $21.31. The business’s 50 day moving average is $20.33 and its 200 day moving average is $18.77.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The company reported $0.19 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.44 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.98 EPS for the current 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 issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.19%. This is a positive change from Host Hotels & Resorts’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.92%.

Host Hotels & Resorts Company 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.