Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Buys 641,247 Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. $HST

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 81.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,427,329 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 641,247 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $24,293,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the 2nd quarter worth about $554,669,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 25,055,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $398,425,000 after acquiring an additional 636,983 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 3.3% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,734,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,879,000 after purchasing an additional 341,915 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.8% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,668,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,075,000 after buying an additional 154,893 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 199.0% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,294,296 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,320,000 after buying an additional 3,523,534 shares during the period. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Host Hotels & Resorts

In related news, EVP Nathan S. Tyrrell sold 11,954 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.15, for a total transaction of $216,965.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 668,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,141,025.05. This represents a 1.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Host Hotels & Resorts Price Performance

Shares of HST opened at $18.87 on Wednesday. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $12.22 and a fifty-two week high of $19.30. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $18.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.26. The stock has a market cap of $12.98 billion, a PE ratio of 17.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.17. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.02. Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 11.11% and a net margin of 12.43%.The company had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.36 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 85.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is currently 76.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Evercore ISI lowered shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $20.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. UBS Group set a $21.00 price target on Host Hotels & Resorts in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $19.32.

Host Hotels & Resorts Profile

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on owning and managing premium lodging properties. The company’s portfolio predominantly comprises luxury and upper-upscale hotels and resorts operated under leading global brands. Through strategic acquisitions, dispositions and capital investments, Host Hotels & Resorts seeks to enhance long-term value by aligning property-level operating performance with broader market trends in hospitality demand.

The company’s holdings span major urban, resort and conference destinations across North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.