Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 25,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 2,597 shares during the period. SG Trading Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $566,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $508,000. Compound Planning Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 25.3% during the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 14,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 2,982 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 128,481 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,278,000 after buying an additional 25,225 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts Price Performance

Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts stock traded up $0.20 on Tuesday, hitting $19.16. 10,727,524 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,854,728. 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 50-day moving average price of $19.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.13. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 1-year low of $12.22 and a 1-year high of $21.00.

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

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The business 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. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is currently 72.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on HST shares. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Robert W. Baird set a $20.00 price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Argus upgraded Host Hotels & Resorts to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $22.00 target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $20.43.

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.