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

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on HST shares. Weiss Ratings raised Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Truist Financial raised Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 9th. UBS Group set a $21.00 price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Evercore cut Host Hotels & Resorts from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $20.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $19.85.

Host Hotels & Resorts Price Performance

Host Hotels & Resorts stock opened at $19.70 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.91, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 12 month low of $12.22 and a 12 month high of $21.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $18.93 and its 200-day moving average is $17.78.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 11.54%. The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.44 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts expect that Host Hotels & Resorts will post 1.88 EPS for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is 72.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Host Hotels & Resorts news, EVP Nathan S. Tyrrell sold 9,086 shares of Host Hotels & Resorts stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.47, for a total value of $167,818.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Host Hotels & Resorts

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts during the second quarter valued at approximately $554,669,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec raised its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 475.8% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 7,061,055 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,179,000 after buying an additional 5,834,750 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 96.3% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 10,390,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $176,845,000 after buying an additional 5,096,099 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 508.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 5,631,541 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,849,000 after buying an additional 4,705,282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 204.0% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 5,943,106 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,371,000 after buying an additional 3,988,127 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

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.