Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) Short Interest Down 16.7% in February

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 24,056,440 shares, a decrease of 16.7% from the January 29th total of 28,894,294 shares. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 7,612,675 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.2 days. Based on an average trading volume of 7,612,675 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.2 days. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Host Hotels & Resorts news, EVP Nathan S. Tyrrell sold 9,086 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.47, for a total transaction of $167,818.42. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 659,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,187,263.27. The trade was a 1.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Host Hotels & Resorts

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HST. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 108,128,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,917,115,000 after buying an additional 383,490 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the second quarter valued at about $554,669,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 25,055,737 shares of the company’s stock valued at $398,425,000 after acquiring an additional 636,983 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 9.7% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 25,021,481 shares of the company’s stock worth $425,866,000 after acquiring an additional 2,217,322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 36.8% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 12,710,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,362,000 after purchasing an additional 3,420,840 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts Price Performance

Host Hotels & Resorts stock traded down $0.26 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $19.86. 6,846,365 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,657,205. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 12-month low of $12.22 and a 12-month high of $21.00. The company has a market capitalization of $13.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.05, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.13. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 2.59.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last issued 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). The company had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.49 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 11.54%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.44 earnings per share. Host Hotels & Resorts has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.110 EPS. Analysts forecast that Host Hotels & Resorts will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is 72.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial raised shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Barclays started coverage on Host Hotels & Resorts in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $19.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Host Hotels & Resorts presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $20.00.

About Host Hotels & Resorts

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.