Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) Shares Bought by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 66.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,637,328 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,466,629 shares during the period. Host Hotels & Resorts makes up about 1.1% of Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. owned 1.94% of Host Hotels & Resorts worth $240,017,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 854.3% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 319,791 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,750,000 after acquiring an additional 286,281 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the 1st quarter worth approximately $15,509,000. PGGM Investments raised its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.0% in the second quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 3,113,528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,981,000 after buying an additional 59,772 shares during the period. Shell Asset Management Co. acquired a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts during the first quarter valued at approximately $371,000. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 5.4% during the second quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 637,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,351,000 after buying an additional 32,586 shares during the period. 98.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Host Hotels & Resorts Price Performance

HST opened at $18.25 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.72, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a 50-day moving average of $17.79 and a 200-day moving average of $17.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 2.90 and a current ratio of 2.90. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 1-year low of $15.71 and a 1-year high of $21.31.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.41 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HST has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.18.

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.