Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. (NYSE:SHO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. (NYSE:SHO) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $12.17.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Sunstone Hotel Investors from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Sunstone Hotel Investors from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th.

Sunstone Hotel Investors Stock Performance

SHO stock opened at $12.10 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.92, a PEG ratio of 6.45 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.63. Sunstone Hotel Investors has a fifty-two week low of $9.39 and a fifty-two week high of $12.41.

Sunstone Hotel Investors (NYSE:SHO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.20 by ($0.02). Sunstone Hotel Investors had a net margin of 18.61% and a return on equity of 9.04%. The company had revenue of $226.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $224.61 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Sunstone Hotel Investors will post 0.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sunstone Hotel Investors Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.98%. Sunstone Hotel Investors’s payout ratio is presently 44.74%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sunstone Hotel Investors

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Federated Hermes Inc. purchased a new position in Sunstone Hotel Investors during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sunstone Hotel Investors by 114.1% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,271 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,743 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its position in Sunstone Hotel Investors by 584.1% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,310 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 3,680 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Sunstone Hotel Investors in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Sunstone Hotel Investors by 34.8% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 7,510 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 1,937 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.37% of the company’s stock.

Sunstone Hotel Investors Company Profile

Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc is a lodging real estate investment trust ("REIT") that as of the date of this release owns 14 hotels comprised of 6,675 rooms, the majority of which are operated under nationally recognized brands. Sunstone's strategy is to create long-term stakeholder value through the acquisition, active ownership, and disposition of well-located hotel and resort real estate.