Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Acquires Shares of 10,357 Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 10,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $181,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 18,517 shares of the company’s stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 1,929 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 23.0% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 30,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $545,000 after acquiring an additional 5,778 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $10,668,000 after acquiring an additional 113,761 shares in the last quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 3.0% in the third quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,594 shares of the company’s stock valued at $380,000 after purchasing an additional 625 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 537.4% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,893,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,318,000 after purchasing an additional 5,811,722 shares in the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Host Hotels & Resorts Price Performance

Shares of HST stock opened at $14.53 on Friday. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.25 and a fifty-two 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 firm has a market capitalization of $10.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.68 and a beta of 1.30. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.24.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.29. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 12.26% and a return on equity of 10.37%. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.37 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.51%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is presently 80.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upgraded Host Hotels & Resorts from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $16.00 to $15.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. Raymond James lowered 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 note on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $19.54.

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.