Sunstone Hotel Investors (NYSE:SHO) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. (NYSE:SHO) saw strong trading volume on Monday . 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

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Sunstone Hotel Investors from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Sunstone Hotel Investors from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sunstone Hotel Investors currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.17.

Sunstone Hotel Investors Stock Up 2.7 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a PE ratio of 15.93, a PEG ratio of 6.45 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.58.

Sunstone Hotel Investors (NYSE:SHO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.20 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $226.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was down 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.23 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. will post 0.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Sunstone Hotel Investors Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Sunstone Hotel Investors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.74%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sunstone Hotel Investors

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SHO. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Sunstone Hotel Investors by 2.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,247,927 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $54,169,000 after buying an additional 109,327 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Sunstone Hotel Investors by 31.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,775,533 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $49,284,000 after acquiring an additional 1,130,558 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Sunstone Hotel Investors by 3.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,081,978 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $42,126,000 after purchasing an additional 117,390 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sunstone Hotel Investors by 1.9% during the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,818,270 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,479,000 after purchasing an additional 51,203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Sunstone Hotel Investors by 1.0% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,651,189 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $27,731,000 after purchasing an additional 25,086 shares during the period. 99.37% of the stock is currently owned by 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.