Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) Price Target Cut to $20.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) had its price objective decreased by UBS Group from $21.00 to $20.00 in a research note published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on HST. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Raymond James upped their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Barclays increased their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $21.33.

Host Hotels & Resorts Price Performance

HST opened at $18.71 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $20.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $18.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 3.29 and a quick ratio of 3.29. The firm has a market cap of $13.16 billion, a PE ratio of 17.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.31. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 1 year low of $14.92 and a 1 year high of $21.31.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.25). Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 13.93% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.44 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Host Hotels & Resorts will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 28th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. This is a boost from Host Hotels & Resorts’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is 76.92%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO James F. Risoleo sold 28,136 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.04, for a total value of $591,981.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,225,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,826,140.08. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Host Hotels & Resorts

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Garner Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 1,921.5% during the first quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 1,249 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 57.5% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 639 shares during the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Host Hotels & Resorts

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.