Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) Short Interest Update

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 30,454,300 shares, an increase of 23.0% from the February 26th total of 24,760,851 shares. Currently, 4.5% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 9,676,028 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Up 0.6%

Host Hotels & Resorts stock traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $18.96. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,118,185 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,327,846. Host Hotels & Resorts has a fifty-two week low of $12.22 and a fifty-two week high of $21.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $13.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.09.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.47 by ($0.27). Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 11.54% and a net margin of 12.51%.The business had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.44 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Host Hotels & Resorts has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.110 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Host Hotels & Resorts will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is 72.73%.

Institutional Trading of Host Hotels & Resorts

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,218 shares of the company’s stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 33,581 shares of the company’s stock worth $595,000 after buying an additional 607 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 5,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 29,829 shares of the company’s stock valued at $529,000 after acquiring an additional 654 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 661 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on HST. Truist Financial upped their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays assumed coverage on Host Hotels & Resorts in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH began coverage on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in a report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $23.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $20.43.

Host Hotels & Resorts Company Profile

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on owning and managing premium lodging properties. The company’s portfolio predominantly comprises luxury and upper-upscale hotels and resorts operated under leading global brands. Through strategic acquisitions, dispositions and capital investments, Host Hotels & Resorts seeks to enhance long-term value by aligning property-level operating performance with broader market trends in hospitality demand.

The company’s holdings span major urban, resort and conference destinations across North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.