StockNews.com Downgrades Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) to Sell

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on HST. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Host Hotels & Resorts from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $20.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.29.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

HST traded down $0.54 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $17.46. The company had a trading volume of 9,861,421 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,807,916. The company has a quick ratio of 4.55, a current ratio of 2.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The business has a 50-day moving average of $17.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.73. The company has a market cap of $12.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.32. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 1 year low of $15.71 and a 1 year high of $21.31.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.24). Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 12.92%. The business had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.41 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Host Hotels & Resorts will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.58%. Host Hotels & Resorts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Host Hotels & Resorts

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HST. BROOKFIELD Corp ON purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 212.7% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,473 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 44.5% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the second quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.52% of the company's stock.

About Host Hotels & Resorts

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc is an S&P 500 company and is the largest lodging real estate investment trust and one of the largest owners of luxury and upper-upscale hotels. The Company currently owns 72 properties in the United States and five properties internationally totaling approximately 42,000 rooms.