Principal Securities Inc. Trims Stock Position in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Principal Securities Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 57.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,619 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,665 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $204,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 23.1% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 606,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,668,000 after acquiring an additional 113,761 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC grew its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 123.4% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 65,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,156,000 after purchasing an additional 36,278 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts in the third quarter valued at $540,000. LMR Partners LLP purchased a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts during the third quarter worth about $4,775,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts during the third quarter worth about $639,000. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Host Hotels & Resorts Price Performance

HST stock opened at $16.25 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $17.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.49. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 52-week low of $15.71 and a 52-week high of $21.31. The company has a market capitalization of $11.36 billion, a PE ratio of 16.41 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 2.90, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

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

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.92%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on HST shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Raymond James reduced their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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 report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Host Hotels & Resorts presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.54.

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.