Rafferty Asset Management LLC Sells 18,163 Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. $HST

Key Points

• Rafferty Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 18.6%, holding 79,595 shares valued at approximately $1.13 million after selling 18,163 shares in the first quarter.
• Host Hotels & Resorts' recent earnings report showed an EPS of $0.58, surpassing analysts' expectations of $0.51, with revenue reaching $1.59 billion for the quarter, up 8.2% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20, translating to an annual payout of $0.80 and a yield of 4.6% based on its dividend payout ratio of 85.11%.

Rafferty Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST - Free Report) by 18.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 79,595 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,163 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $1,131,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 185,200.0% during the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,853 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 1,852 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 696.3% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,341 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 2,047 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts in the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 348.1% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,375 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,845 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service grew its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 74.8% in the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 2,596 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 1,111 shares during the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of HST stock traded up $0.40 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $17.59. The company had a trading volume of 8,943,954 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,754,848. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $16.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.42. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a one year low of $12.22 and a one year high of $19.36. The firm has a market cap of $12.09 billion, a PE ratio of 18.71 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.20.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.51 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 9.90%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.57 earnings per share. Host Hotels & Resorts has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.980-2.020 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. Host Hotels & Resorts's dividend payout ratio is presently 85.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $17.00 to $18.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $16.00 price target for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Host Hotels & Resorts currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $17.77.

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.