Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Grows Stock Holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund raised its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 28.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,782 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,985 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $521,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake 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 valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 991 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 44.5% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,816 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 867 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at $57,000. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of HST stock opened at $17.08 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $17.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.47. The firm has a market cap of $11.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.58 and a beta of 1.30. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 1 year low of $15.71 and a 1 year 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.29. Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 12.92%. Analysts predict that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.68%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Raymond James reduced their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. StockNews.com cut Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.54.

Host Hotels & Resorts 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.