Aurora Investment Counsel Has $1.73 Million Position in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

Aurora Investment Counsel lifted its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 11.4% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 96,308 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,847 shares during the quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $1,732,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of HST. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 0.5% during the first quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 124,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,567,000 after buying an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 15,774 shares of the company’s stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 19,858 shares of the company’s stock worth $357,000 after purchasing an additional 584 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 16.1% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 4,460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares during the period. Finally, Gulf International Bank UK Ltd grew its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 16.3% during the 1st quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 4,475 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 627 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on HST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Host Hotels & Resorts from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $20.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts stock opened at $17.60 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $17.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.23. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.92 and a fifty-two week high of $21.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 4.55 and a quick ratio of 4.55.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.55%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.43%.

Host Hotels & Resorts Company Profile

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc is an S&P 500 company and is the largest lodging real estate investment trust and one of the largest owners of luxury and upper-upscale hotels. The Company currently owns 72 properties in the United States and five properties internationally totaling approximately 42,000 rooms.