Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 38,690,000 shares, a growth of 8.8% from the December 31st total of 35,570,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 6,860,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.6 days. Approximately 5.6% of the company's shares are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Host Hotels & Resorts

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HST. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised 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. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 123.4% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 65,681 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,156,000 after acquiring an additional 36,278 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the third quarter worth approximately $540,000. LMR Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the third quarter worth approximately $4,775,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the third quarter valued at approximately $639,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.52% of the company's stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:HST traded up $0.07 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $16.71. The company had a trading volume of 11,268,488 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,395,224. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 1-year low of $15.71 and a 1-year high of $21.31. The stock has a market cap of $11.68 billion, a PE ratio of 16.22 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.90, a current ratio of 2.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The business's 50 day moving average price is $17.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.56.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.29 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 12.92%. Host Hotels & Resorts's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Host Hotels & Resorts will post 1.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.79%. Host Hotels & Resorts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HST has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com lowered Host Hotels & Resorts from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Compass Point raised shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $18.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Host Hotels & Resorts currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $20.96.

Host Hotels & Resorts Company 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.

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