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

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) EVP Sourav Ghosh sold 93,863 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 418,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,353,319.72. The trade was a 18.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Host Hotels & Resorts Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ HST opened at $25.78 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $23.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $22.19. The stock has a market cap of $17.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 1.09. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 52-week low of $16.77 and a 52-week high of $26.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 2.96 and a current ratio of 5.79.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last announced its earnings results 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 14.33% and a net margin of 15.01%. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.36 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.35 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 2.20 EPS for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were given 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 dividend payout ratio is 58.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on HST shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target 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. Barclays raised their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Evercore set a $26.00 price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts in a report on Monday, October 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $25.55.

Institutional Trading of Host Hotels & Resorts

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the second quarter worth approximately $2,096,191,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter valued at $296,560,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter valued at $295,807,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter valued at $143,770,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 16,183.3% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,323,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $126,213,000 after acquiring an additional 5,290,493 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts News Summary

Here’s some of the latest news 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

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.