UBS Group AG Buys 951,523 Shares of Service Properties Trust $SVC

Key Points

• UBS Group AG sharply increased its stake in Service Properties Trust, buying 951,523 additional shares in the fourth quarter and lifting its holdings to 1,308,186 shares, worth about $2.4 million.
• Service Properties Trust reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.04 versus an expected loss and revenue of $364.45 million, above analyst estimates. The company also reaffirmed FY 2026 EPS guidance of 0.240 to 0.270.
• The stock remains under mixed pressure: it trades around $1.73, has weak liquidity and high leverage, and analysts currently rate it a Hold on average with a $2.50 target price. The company also pays a small quarterly dividend of $0.01 per share, or a 2.3% annualized yield.

UBS Group AG increased its stake in Service Properties Trust (NASDAQ:SVC - Free Report) by 266.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,308,186 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 951,523 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned approximately 0.78% of Service Properties Trust worth $2,407,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Susquehanna Advisors Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Service Properties Trust by 9.0% in the third quarter. Susquehanna Advisors Group Inc. now owns 5,121,419 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $13,879,000 after purchasing an additional 420,946 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Service Properties Trust by 114.8% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,118,530 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $10,749,000 after buying an additional 2,200,754 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of Service Properties Trust by 16.5% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,965,472 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $8,036,000 after buying an additional 420,785 shares in the last quarter. Lonestar Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Service Properties Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $7,412,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Service Properties Trust by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,080,047 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $5,636,000 after buying an additional 115,426 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.62% of the company's stock.

Service Properties Trust Stock Up 1.2%

SVC stock opened at $1.73 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 0.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.56. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1.84. The company has a market cap of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.22 and a beta of 1.61. Service Properties Trust has a twelve month low of $1.13 and a twelve month high of $3.08.

Service Properties Trust (NASDAQ:SVC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.36) by $0.40. The company had revenue of $364.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $347.82 million. Service Properties Trust had a negative return on equity of 38.18% and a negative net margin of 13.59%.Service Properties Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.240-0.270 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Service Properties Trust will post 0.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Service Properties Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 21st were given a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 21st. Service Properties Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -2.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SVC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Service Properties Trust in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Service Properties Trust from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. B. Riley Financial raised shares of Service Properties Trust from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $2.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Odeon Capital Group assumed coverage on shares of Service Properties Trust in a report on Friday, May 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $3.50 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Service Properties Trust from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $2.50.

Insider Activity at Service Properties Trust

In other news, Director Laurie B. Burns sold 87,680 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.32, for a total transaction of $203,417.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Brian E. Donley bought 55,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $1.20 per share, for a total transaction of $66,000.00. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders acquired 41,914,999 shares of company stock worth $50,297,999 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.57% of the company's stock.

Service Properties Trust Profile

Service Properties Trust NASDAQ: SVC is a real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in the acquisition, ownership and leasing of service-oriented properties, with a primary focus on the lodging sector. The company structures long-term, triple-net leases with established hotel operators under franchise agreements with leading global brands. By partnering with recognized hotel companies, Service Properties Trust seeks to generate a stable income stream through rent payments, while offering operators the capital and balance-sheet flexibility to grow their portfolios.

Since its formation in 2010, Service Properties Trust has grown its portfolio through strategic sale-leaseback transactions, targeted property acquisitions and selective dispositions.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SVC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Service Properties Trust (NASDAQ:SVC - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.