Sophron Capital Management L.P. Makes New Investment in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Sophron Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 521,153 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,131,000. Host Hotels & Resorts makes up 3.6% of Sophron Capital Management L.P.'s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Sophron Capital Management L.P. owned 0.07% of Host Hotels & Resorts as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Freedom Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 22,216 shares of the company's stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 622 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC grew its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 24,404 shares of the company's stock worth $428,000 after buying an additional 634 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Wealth Solutions LLC grew its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Evergreen Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 12,932 shares of the company's stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 651 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 74,014 shares of the company's stock worth $1,297,000 after buying an additional 746 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC grew its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 13,281 shares of the company's stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 899 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.52% of the company's stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ HST traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $14.70. 6,820,607 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,174,459. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.22 and a 12-month high of $19.37. 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 $14.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.23. The firm has a market cap of $10.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.85 and a beta of 1.29.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.55 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 12.26% and a return on equity of 10.37%. Host Hotels & Resorts's quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.44%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts's payout ratio is presently 83.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Raymond James cut their price target 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. Citigroup cut 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 research note on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Evercore ISI reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Host Hotels & Resorts presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $18.90.

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.