Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) Rating Increased to Buy at Truist Financial

Truist Financial upgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Friday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $21.00 target price on the stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Host Hotels & Resorts to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Host Hotels & Resorts in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $19.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Compass Point raised shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $18.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $18.81.

Host Hotels & Resorts Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HST opened at $18.44 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $17.78 and a 200 day moving average of $16.95. The stock has a market cap of $12.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.56 and a beta of 1.18. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 12 month low of $12.22 and a 12 month high of $18.72. The company has a current ratio of 2.90, a quick ratio of 2.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.02. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 11.11%. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.36 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Host Hotels & Resorts has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.030-2.030 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Host Hotels & Resorts will post 1.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 85.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.19%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Host Hotels & Resorts news, EVP Nathan S. Tyrrell sold 9,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 659,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,187,263.27. This represents a 1.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Host Hotels & Resorts

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HST. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 953.5% during the 2nd quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 1,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,516 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 79.6% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 786 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 50.0% in the second quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 2,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 691 shares during the period. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.