Machina Capital S.A.S. Acquires New Stake in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. $HST

Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 127,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,847,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HST. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 186.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 93,491 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,217,000 after buying an additional 60,880 shares in the last quarter. Resolution Capital Ltd raised its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Resolution Capital Ltd now owns 2,097,777 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,193,000 after buying an additional 116,440 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 17.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 3,648,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,681,000 after buying an additional 549,645 shares in the last quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the 1st quarter valued at $7,237,000. Finally, Man Group plc bought a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter worth $36,999,000. 98.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of HST opened at $25.78 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $17.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 5.79 and a quick ratio of 2.96. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 1 year low of $16.77 and a 1 year high of $26.19.

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

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $25.55.

Key Stories Impacting Host Hotels & Resorts

Investors following HST have been watching these stories:

• 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

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 transaction of $2,324,047.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 418,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,353,319.72. This trade represents a 18.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Nathan S. Tyrrell sold 50,000 shares of Host Hotels & Resorts stock in a transaction on Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.34, for a total transaction of $1,267,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 563,907 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,289,403.38. The trade was a 8.14% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 224,174 shares of company stock valued at $5,472,826. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts 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.