Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Has $2.04 Million Holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 40.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 116,234 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 33,400 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $2,036,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 606,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,668,000 after acquiring an additional 113,761 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC increased its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 123.4% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 65,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,156,000 after purchasing an additional 36,278 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the third quarter valued at $540,000. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter worth $375,000. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the fourth quarter worth $1,457,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Host Hotels & Resorts stock opened at $14.81 on Thursday. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.25 and a 12-month high of $20.85. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.26. The company has a quick ratio of 2.90, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.96 and a beta of 1.30.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.37 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 12.26% and a return on equity of 10.37%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.40%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.81%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on HST. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $16.00 to $15.00 in a research note on Friday, March 21st. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Raymond James cut their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.54.

Host Hotels & Resorts Company Profile

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the management of luxury and upper-upscale hotels. It operates through the following geographical segments: United States, Brazil, and Canada. The company was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Bethesda, MD.