Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) Shares Purchased by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST - Free Report) by 150.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,051,599 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 632,244 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned approximately 0.15% of Host Hotels & Resorts worth $20,475,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 1,921.5% in the first quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,314 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,249 shares during the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 146.3% in the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,643 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 976 shares during the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 66.2% in the first quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 1,871 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 745 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.52% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO James F. Risoleo sold 28,136 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.04, for a total value of $591,981.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,225,577 shares in the company, valued at $46,826,140.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of HST traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $18.59. 4,941,682 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,027,005. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 52-week low of $14.92 and a 52-week high of $21.31. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $18.77. The firm has a market cap of $13.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 3.29 and a current ratio of 3.29.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.25). The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.29 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 13.93%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.44 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 28th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This is a boost from Host Hotels & Resorts's previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. Host Hotels & Resorts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Bank of America upgraded Host Hotels & Resorts from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $18.00 to $23.00 in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.20.

Host Hotels & Resorts Company Profile

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc is an S&P 500 company and is the largest lodging real estate investment trust and one of the largest owners of luxury and upper-upscale hotels. The Company currently owns 72 properties in the United States and five properties internationally totaling approximately 42,000 rooms.