Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Acquires 176,464 Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. $HST

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 35.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 674,450 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 176,464 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $15,101,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 12,526.1% during the third quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,904 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 2,881 shares in the last quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP increased its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 2,992.6% during the third quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 3,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 3,232 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 14.6% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 4,931 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,000 after buying an additional 629 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the second quarter worth $129,000. 98.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mary Baglivo sold 2,466 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.35, for a total value of $62,513.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50.70. This represents a 99.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Nathan Tyrrell sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.34, for a total value of $1,267,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 563,907 shares in the company, valued at $14,289,403.38. This trade represents a 8.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 224,174 shares of company stock valued at $5,472,826 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts News Summary

Here’s some of the latest news about HST:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks characterized HST as a strong momentum stock, which could appeal to investors focused on recent share-price trends. The stock is also trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and near its 12-month high. Read the Zacks article
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target from $24 to $27 but maintained a neutral rating. The average analyst target is $25.55, close to the quoted share price, suggesting limited upside implied by consensus. Read about Cantor Fitzgerald’s rating
• Negative Sentiment: Recent SEC filings show director Mary Baglivo sold nearly all her directly held shares, while EVPs Sourav Ghosh and Nathan Tyrrell also reduced their holdings. Insider selling can weigh on sentiment, though the executives retained substantial positions. Read the insider-sale report

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ HST opened at $25.78 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $17.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 2.96 and a current ratio of 5.79. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 1 year low of $16.77 and a 1 year high of $26.19. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $23.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.19.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.01. Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 14.33% and a net margin of 15.01%. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.35 EPS. Host Hotels & Resorts’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 2.20 earnings per share for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is currently 58.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on HST shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $25.55.

About Host Hotels & Resorts

Host Hotels & Resorts is a real estate investment trust that owns a portfolio of luxury and upper-upscale hotels and resorts. Its properties serve business and leisure travelers and are located primarily in the United States, with additional properties in international markets. The company’s hotels are operated under a range of well-known brands, including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Four Seasons. Host generally relies on brand companies and other third-party operators to manage its properties, while focusing on hotel ownership and real estate investment.