Norges Bank Takes $807.88 Million Position in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 46,111,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $807,878,000. Norges Bank owned approximately 6.60% of Host Hotels & Resorts as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Freedom Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,594 shares of the company’s stock worth $380,000 after acquiring an additional 625 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 24,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $428,000 after purchasing an additional 634 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 74,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,297,000 after purchasing an additional 746 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC raised its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 13,281 shares of the company’s stock valued at $233,000 after buying an additional 899 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meridian Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Meridian Financial Partners LLC now owns 77,830 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,364,000 after acquiring an additional 977 shares in the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Compass Point cut shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $20.00 to $18.00 in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Host Hotels & Resorts from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $16.00 to $15.00 in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.54.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Down 1.9 %

HST opened at $14.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 2.90. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 12 month low of $14.25 and a 12 month high of $20.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.68 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.24.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 10.37% and a net margin of 12.26%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.51%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.81%.

Host Hotels & Resorts Profile

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the management of luxury and upper-upscale hotels. It operates through the following geographical segments: United States, Brazil, and Canada. The company was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Bethesda, MD.