Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) EVP Sourav Ghosh Sells 93,863 Shares of Company Stock

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) EVP Sourav Ghosh sold 93,863 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 6th. The stock was 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 owned 418,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,353,319.72. This represents a 18.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Host Hotels & Resorts Trading Up 2.6%

Host Hotels & Resorts stock traded up $0.65 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $25.93. The stock had a trading volume of 8,242,480 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,972,312. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 52-week low of $16.77 and a 52-week high of $26.19. The company has a quick ratio of 2.96, a current ratio of 2.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market cap of $17.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a fifty day moving average of $23.27 and a 200 day moving average of $22.12.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.01. Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 14.19% and a net margin of 15.01%. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.35 EPS. Host Hotels & Resorts’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,096,191,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the second quarter worth $296,560,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter valued at $295,807,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,492,832 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,042,000 after acquiring an additional 118,043 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter valued at $143,770,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Evercore set a $26.00 price target on Host Hotels & Resorts in a report on Monday, October 26th. Weiss Ratings raised Host Hotels & Resorts from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Host Hotels & Resorts presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $25.55.

Host Hotels & Resorts Company Profile

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.