Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) Raised to Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, Marketbeat reports. Morgan Stanley currently has $15.00 target price on the stock, down from their prior target price of $16.00.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 17th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Raymond James decreased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Compass Point lowered Host Hotels & Resorts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $20.00 to $18.00 in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $19.54.

Host Hotels & Resorts Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts stock opened at $14.69 on Friday. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 1 year low of $14.25 and a 1 year high of $21.27. The firm has a market cap of $10.27 billion, a PE ratio of 14.84 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $16.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 2.90.

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

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is 80.81%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. National Pension Service purchased a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 202.6% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,088 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 94.9% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,035 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 991 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

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.