Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) Hits New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HST. 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. Raymond James reduced their target price 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. Morgan Stanley raised Host Hotels & Resorts from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $16.00 to $15.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, 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, March 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.54.

Host Hotels & Resorts Trading Down 2.4 %

The firm has a market cap of $9.92 billion, a PE ratio of 14.34 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 2.90. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $16.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.24.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. Analysts forecast that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.88 EPS for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.64%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.81%.

Institutional Trading of Host Hotels & Resorts

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 1,496,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,212,000 after purchasing an additional 89,535 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 46.8% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 52,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $911,000 after acquiring an additional 16,578 shares during the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,629,000. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH acquired a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the fourth quarter worth about $198,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the 4th quarter worth about $26,068,000. 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.