Van ECK Associates Corp Acquires 16,430 Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 19.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 99,927 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,430 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $1,946,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 82,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,613,000 after acquiring an additional 610 shares during the period. Eagle Strategies LLC grew its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 21,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $420,000 after buying an additional 617 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 57.5% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 639 shares during the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 1.0% in the third quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 67,550 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,086,000 after acquiring an additional 658 shares during the period. Finally, Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 0.3% in the third quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 279,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,494,000 after acquiring an additional 715 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Host Hotels & Resorts

In related news, CEO James F. Risoleo sold 28,136 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.04, for a total value of $591,981.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,225,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,826,140.08. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HST opened at $18.23 on Thursday. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a twelve month low of $14.92 and a twelve month high of $21.31. The company has a quick ratio of 3.29, a current ratio of 6.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market cap of $12.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.87, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.32. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $20.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.08.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 10.59%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.44 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 28th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.39%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. This is a boost from Host Hotels & Resorts’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.43%.

Host Hotels & Resorts Company Profile

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.