Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. $HST Stock: Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Increases Position

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 35.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 674,450 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 176,464 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned about 0.10% of Host Hotels & Resorts worth $15,101,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 194,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,361,000 after buying an additional 22,393 shares during the period. AlphaCore Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 41.2% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 22,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $518,000 after acquiring an additional 6,692 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 518,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,617,000 after acquiring an additional 28,384 shares during the period. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP lifted its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 2,992.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 3,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 3,232 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 14.3% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 673,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,160,000 after acquiring an additional 84,319 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Host Hotels & Resorts news, Director Mary Baglivo sold 13,963 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.47, for a total transaction of $341,674.61. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,391.96. The trade was a 84.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Sourav Ghosh sold 93,863 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.76, for a total value of $2,324,047.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 418,147 shares in the company, valued at $10,353,319.72. This trade represents a 18.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 224,174 shares of company stock valued at $5,472,826. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Host Hotels & Resorts Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of HST opened at $25.78 on Thursday. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a twelve month low of $16.77 and a twelve month high of $26.19. The company has a current ratio of 5.79, a quick ratio of 2.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.82, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 1.09. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $23.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.19.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 15.01% and a return on equity of 14.33%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.35 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 2.20 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is currently 58.39%.

Key Stories Impacting Host Hotels & Resorts

Here are a few of the latest stories about HST:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks characterized HST as a strong momentum stock, which could appeal to investors focused on recent share-price trends. The stock is also trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and near its 12-month high. Read the Zacks article
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target from $24 to $27 but maintained a neutral rating. The average analyst target is $25.55, close to the quoted share price, suggesting limited upside implied by consensus. Read about Cantor Fitzgerald’s rating
• Negative Sentiment: Recent SEC filings show director Mary Baglivo sold nearly all her directly held shares, while EVPs Sourav Ghosh and Nathan Tyrrell also reduced their holdings. Insider selling can weigh on sentiment, though the executives retained substantial positions. Read the insider-sale report

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Barclays boosted their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $25.55.

About Host Hotels & Resorts

Host Hotels & Resorts is a real estate investment trust that owns a portfolio of luxury and upper-upscale hotels and resorts. Its properties serve business and leisure travelers and are located primarily in the United States, with additional properties in international markets. The company’s hotels are operated under a range of well-known brands, including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Four Seasons. Host generally relies on brand companies and other third-party operators to manage its properties, while focusing on hotel ownership and real estate investment.