Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.13.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Compass Point downgraded Host Hotels & Resorts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $25.00 to $18.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Host Hotels & Resorts from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $20.00 to $18.00 in a research report on Friday, July 19th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 3,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.64, for a total value of $72,621.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 64,457 shares in the company, valued at $1,201,478.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Host Hotels & Resorts

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HST. BROOKFIELD Corp ON bought a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 212.7% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 1,002 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the first quarter worth about $35,000. 98.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Down 1.7 %

Host Hotels & Resorts stock opened at $16.05 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 6.66 and a current ratio of 4.55. Host Hotels & Resorts has a fifty-two week low of $14.92 and a fifty-two week high of $21.31. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $17.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.91.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 28th. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 78.43%.

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.