Squarepoint Ops LLC Decreases Stock Position in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Squarepoint Ops LLC lowered its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST - Free Report) by 43.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 510,535 shares of the company's stock after selling 397,926 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned about 0.07% of Host Hotels & Resorts worth $8,945,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HST. Cohen & Steers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 50,002,916 shares of the company's stock valued at $876,115,000 after buying an additional 3,932,928 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the 4th quarter valued at about $807,878,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 37,047,730 shares of the company's stock valued at $649,076,000 after buying an additional 643,450 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 24.7% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 22,555,445 shares of the company's stock valued at $395,171,000 after buying an additional 4,460,468 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,253,516 shares of the company's stock valued at $336,539,000 after buying an additional 350,634 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.52% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut Host Hotels & Resorts from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $20.00 to $14.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James reduced their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. 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 report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Host Hotels & Resorts presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $18.90.

Host Hotels & Resorts Price Performance

Shares of HST stock traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $15.43. The company had a trading volume of 2,942,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,207,421. 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 fifty day moving average of $14.35 and a 200-day moving average of $16.17. The company has a market capitalization of $10.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.57 and a beta of 1.29. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.22 and a 12-month high of $19.37.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.55 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 10.37% and a net margin of 12.26%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.19%. Host Hotels & Resorts's dividend payout ratio is currently 83.33%.

Host Hotels & Resorts Company 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.