UBS Group Cuts Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) Price Target to $18.00

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) had its price objective decreased by UBS Group from $19.00 to $18.00 in a report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on HST. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Compass Point upgraded Host Hotels & Resorts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $18.00 to $22.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.96.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of HST opened at $16.64 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $17.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.16 and a beta of 1.31. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 52 week low of $15.71 and a 52 week high of $21.31. 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 (NASDAQ:HST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.41 EPS. Host Hotels & Resorts’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Host Hotels & Resorts will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Host Hotels & Resorts

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 151,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,658,000 after purchasing an additional 16,235 shares during the period. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 74,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,297,000 after buying an additional 746 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 24,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $428,000 after buying an additional 634 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,442,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $312,000. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Host Hotels & Resorts

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.