Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) Stake Boosted by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 65.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,353,801 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 537,411 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $23,719,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HST. Freedom Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings 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 valued at $380,000 after buying an additional 625 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC boosted its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 24,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $428,000 after acquiring an additional 634 shares during the period. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 74,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,297,000 after acquiring an additional 746 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 16,803 shares of the company’s stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 784 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 44.5% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,816 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 867 shares during the period. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Host Hotels & Resorts Price Performance

Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts stock opened at $15.34 on Wednesday. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 1-year low of $15.26 and a 1-year high of $21.27. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.44. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $10.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49 and a beta of 1.30.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 12.26% and a return on equity of 10.37%. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.22%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Raymond James lowered their price target 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. StockNews.com lowered Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Compass Point downgraded Host Hotels & Resorts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $20.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Monday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.21.

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.