Sunstone Hotel Investors (NYSE:SHO) Sees Large Volume Increase – Here’s Why

Shares of Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. (NYSE:SHO) saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 2,372,441 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 45% from the previous session’s volume of 1,635,559 shares.The stock last traded at $12.14 and had previously closed at $11.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on SHO shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Sunstone Hotel Investors from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Sunstone Hotel Investors from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Sunstone Hotel Investors presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $12.17.

Sunstone Hotel Investors Trading Up 0.2 %

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $11.32 and its 200 day moving average is $10.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 2.98 and a quick ratio of 2.98. The company has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a PE ratio of 15.92, a P/E/G ratio of 6.45 and a beta of 1.21.

Sunstone Hotel Investors (NYSE:SHO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $226.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $224.61 million. Sunstone Hotel Investors had a net margin of 18.61% and a return on equity of 9.04%. Sunstone Hotel Investors’s revenue was down 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.23 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. will post 0.79 EPS for the current year.

Sunstone Hotel Investors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Sunstone Hotel Investors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.74%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Federated Hermes Inc. bought a new position in Sunstone Hotel Investors in the second quarter worth $34,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Sunstone Hotel Investors by 114.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,271 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,743 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Sunstone Hotel Investors by 584.1% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,310 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 3,680 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sunstone Hotel Investors in the 3rd quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Sunstone Hotel Investors by 34.8% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 7,510 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 1,937 shares during the period. 99.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sunstone Hotel Investors Company Profile

Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc is a lodging real estate investment trust ("REIT") that as of the date of this release owns 14 hotels comprised of 6,675 rooms, the majority of which are operated under nationally recognized brands. Sunstone's strategy is to create long-term stakeholder value through the acquisition, active ownership, and disposition of well-located hotel and resort real estate.