Strs Ohio Makes New Investment in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. $HST

Key Points

• Strs Ohio invested approximately $18.09 million to acquire 1,272,877 shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., representing about 0.18% ownership of the company.
• Analysts have set a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Host Hotels & Resorts, with a target price averaging around $17.77 following recent upgrades from various equity research firms.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, translating to an annual yield of 4.5%, with the distribution to be paid on October 15th.

Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,272,877 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,088,000. Strs Ohio owned about 0.18% of Host Hotels & Resorts at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.6% in the first quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 24,842 shares of the company's stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 16,549 shares of the company's stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 703 shares during the last quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 5.2% during the first quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 15,255 shares of the company's stock valued at $220,000 after purchasing an additional 760 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 21,349 shares of the company's stock worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 765 shares during the period. Finally, Impact Investors Inc raised its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Impact Investors Inc now owns 59,112 shares of the company's stock valued at $840,000 after buying an additional 773 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.52% of the company's stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

NASDAQ HST traded up $0.18 on Thursday, reaching $17.70. 2,914,627 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,656,396. The company has a current ratio of 2.20, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. 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 $12.17 billion, a PE ratio of 18.82 and a beta of 1.36. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $16.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.50.

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

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.5%. Host Hotels & Resorts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on HST shares. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Host Hotels & Resorts in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $16.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $17.00 to $18.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 27th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Host Hotels & Resorts has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $17.77.

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.