Brokerages Set Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) Price Target at $21.33

Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.29.

Several research firms recently weighed in on HST. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 19th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $18.00 to $23.00 in a research report on Monday, January 8th.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts stock opened at $18.77 on Tuesday. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 12-month low of $14.92 and a 12-month high of $21.31. The company has a market cap of $13.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.40, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.32. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $20.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.03. The company has a current ratio of 6.66, a quick ratio of 3.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 10.59%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.44 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Host Hotels & Resorts will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 28th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This is a positive change from Host Hotels & Resorts’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.26%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is currently 78.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO James F. Risoleo sold 28,136 shares of Host Hotels & Resorts stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.04, for a total value of $591,981.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,225,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,826,140.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Host Hotels & Resorts

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CVA Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 57.5% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 639 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts during the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. 98.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.