Ritholtz Wealth Management Sells 8,556 Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Ritholtz Wealth Management trimmed its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 98,034 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,556 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $1,909,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.5% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 44,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $856,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the 1st quarter valued at about $215,000. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC boosted its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 14,652 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 1,034 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts in the 1st quarter worth about $624,000. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 82.0% during the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 85,212 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,656,000 after acquiring an additional 38,385 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Host Hotels & Resorts stock traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $20.68. The company had a trading volume of 5,737,057 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,338,313. The company has a current ratio of 3.29, a quick ratio of 3.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a market capitalization of $14.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.31. The company’s fifty day moving average is $20.15 and its 200-day moving average is $18.36. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.92 and a 12-month high of $21.31.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.25). Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 13.93% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.44 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 28th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.87%. This is a boost from Host Hotels & Resorts’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is presently 76.92%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO James F. Risoleo sold 28,136 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were 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 directly owns 2,225,577 shares in the company, valued at $46,826,140.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Host Hotels & Resorts from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $15.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.20.

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.