Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $2.16 Million Stake in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Lazard Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST - Free Report) by 60.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 123,080 shares of the company's stock after selling 189,028 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $2,155,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at about $375,000. Avanza Fonder AB bought a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,457,000. Vert Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Vert Asset Management LLC now owns 309,446 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,421,000 after purchasing an additional 26,678 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 716.4% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,841 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 2,493 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 155.2% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,610,981 shares of the company's stock valued at $98,305,000 after purchasing an additional 3,412,589 shares in the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HST opened at $15.56 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $10.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.72 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $14.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 2.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 1-year low of $12.22 and a 1-year high of $19.37.

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

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.14%. Host Hotels & Resorts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group reduced their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Compass Point cut Host Hotels & Resorts from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $20.00 to $18.00 in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $18.90.

Host Hotels & Resorts Profile

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.

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