KBC Group NV Boosts Stock Position in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 207.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,198,392 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,484,370 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $38,692,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 34.4% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 20,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $414,000 after buying an additional 5,124 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 14.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 41,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $855,000 after purchasing an additional 5,280 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 23.9% in the first quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 204,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,224,000 after purchasing an additional 39,340 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 4.0% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 882,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,247,000 after purchasing an additional 34,179 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 13.3% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,300,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,885,000 after purchasing an additional 152,337 shares during the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Host Hotels & Resorts Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of HST stock opened at $17.46 on Friday. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 1 year low of $15.71 and a 1 year high of $21.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.21 billion, a PE ratio of 16.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $17.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 4.55 and a current ratio of 2.90.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.24). The company had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 12.92% and a return on equity of 10.72%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.96 EPS for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.58%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com cut shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Compass Point upgraded Host Hotels & Resorts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $18.00 to $22.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Two equities 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.29.

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.