Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Buys 20,957 Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 7.8%, acquiring an additional 20,957 shares for a total of 289,652 shares valued at $4,133,000.
• Several institutional investors, including Cohen & Steers Inc. and Invesco Ltd., have also raised their positions in Host Hotels & Resorts, with a total of 98.52% of the stock owned by institutional investors.
• Host Hotels & Resorts announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share with a yield of 4.83%, while analysts have provided mixed ratings with a current consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $17.96.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST - Free Report) by 7.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 289,652 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 20,957 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $4,133,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,852 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted 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 acquiring an additional 2,047 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 28.4% during the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,648 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 80.1% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,287 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 1,906 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the 1st quarter valued at about $66,000. 98.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $17.00 to $18.50 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in a report on Monday, June 23rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $16.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $20.00 to $14.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Host Hotels & Resorts presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $17.96.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

NASDAQ HST traded down $0.36 on Thursday, reaching $15.78. 9,952,201 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,668,095. 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 capitalization of $10.94 billion, a PE ratio of 16.47 and a beta of 1.31. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $15.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.53. The company has a current ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.07. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 11.66% and a return on equity of 10.11%. The company had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.57 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. Host Hotels & Resorts's payout ratio is currently 83.33%.

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.