Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $14.24 and last traded at $14.32, with a volume of 1453559 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.53.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Compass Point cut Host Hotels & Resorts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $20.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $16.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Raymond James cut their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $19.54.

Host Hotels & Resorts Trading Down 2.4 %

The company’s fifty day moving average is $16.13 and its 200-day moving average is $17.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 2.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.34 and a beta of 1.30.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.37 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 10.37% and a net margin of 12.26%. As a group, sell-side 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is currently 80.81%.

Institutional Trading of Host Hotels & Resorts

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 18,517 shares of the company’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 1,929 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 30,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $545,000 after purchasing an additional 5,778 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 23.1% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 606,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,668,000 after purchasing an additional 113,761 shares during the period. Freedom Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 3.0% during the third quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,594 shares of the company’s stock worth $380,000 after purchasing an additional 625 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 537.4% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,893,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,318,000 after purchasing an additional 5,811,722 shares in the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Host Hotels & Resorts

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the management of luxury and upper-upscale hotels. It operates through the following geographical segments: United States, Brazil, and Canada. The company was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Bethesda, MD.