Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) Shares Bought by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 150.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,051,599 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 632,244 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $20,475,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of HST. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 1,921.5% during the first quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,249 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 57.5% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 639 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 66.2% during the first quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 1,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 745 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on HST. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Bank of America upgraded Host Hotels & Resorts from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $18.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Barclays lifted their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.20.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of HST stock opened at $18.74 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.29, a current ratio of 3.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The business has a 50 day moving average of $20.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.77. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.92 and a 52 week high of $21.31. The company has a market cap of $13.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.02, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.31.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.25). The business 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 13.93% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.44 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 28th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.27%. 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 payout ratio is 76.92%.

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.