Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 1,589 Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,056 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,589 shares during the period. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $667,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. National Pension Service acquired a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 202.6% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 1,088 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 94.9% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 991 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. 98.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of HST opened at $14.27 on Friday. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.15 and a 52 week high of $20.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 2.90 and a current ratio of 1.91. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $16.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.41 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is currently 80.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on HST shares. Compass Point lowered Host Hotels & Resorts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $20.00 to $18.00 in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $16.00 to $15.00 in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $19.54.

Host Hotels & Resorts Company 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.