Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Trims Stock Position in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. decreased its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 12.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,738 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,573 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $188,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HST. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 44.5% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,816 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 867 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 50.5% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 1,198 shares in the last quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 27.1% during the third quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 3,952 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 842 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the third quarter worth approximately $90,000. 98.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of HST stock opened at $16.94 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $11.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.45 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 2.90 and a quick ratio of 2.90. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $15.71 and a fifty-two week high of $21.31. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $17.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.61.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.24). The business had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 12.92%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.72%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is 77.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Compass Point raised shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $18.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Host Hotels & Resorts currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.04.

About Host Hotels & Resorts

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.