Russell Investments Group Ltd. Raises Stake in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 71.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,980,807 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,660,341 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.57% of Host Hotels & Resorts worth $69,748,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HST. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the fourth quarter valued at about $807,878,000. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 155.2% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,610,981 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,305,000 after purchasing an additional 3,412,589 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 15,899,205 shares of the company’s stock worth $278,554,000 after purchasing an additional 2,261,877 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 75.0% in the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 3,344,171 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,432,772 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. grew its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 92.9% during the 3rd quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 2,764,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,652,000 after buying an additional 1,331,407 shares in the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Down 1.2 %

NASDAQ HST opened at $13.14 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.90, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.27 and a 52 week high of $20.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a fifty day moving average of $15.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.11.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.29. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 12.26% and a return on equity of 10.37%. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. On average, analysts predict that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.09%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is 80.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on HST shares. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $16.00 to $15.00 in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.54.

Host Hotels & Resorts Profile

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.