Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) EVP Sourav Ghosh Sells 93,863 Shares of Stock

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) EVP Sourav Ghosh sold 93,863 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.76, for a total value of $2,324,047.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 418,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,353,319.72. The trade was a 18.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ HST opened at $25.93 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $17.77 billion, a PE ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 2.96, a current ratio of 5.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 52-week low of $16.77 and a 52-week high of $26.19. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $23.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.15.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.01. Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 14.33% and a net margin of 15.01%. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.35 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.39%.

Key Stories Impacting Host Hotels & Resorts

Here are the key news stories impacting Host Hotels & Resorts this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks describes HST as a strong momentum stock, which may attract investors focused on recent price trends. Read the Zacks article
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target from $24 to $27 but kept a neutral rating, signaling improved valuation expectations without an outright bullish recommendation.
• Neutral Sentiment: A report listed short interest at zero shares, indicating no reported short position to suggest meaningful short-covering demand; the figure may be subject to reporting limitations.
• Negative Sentiment: Several insiders reported selling shares. Director Mary Baglivo sold nearly all of her direct holdings, while EVP Sourav Ghosh and EVP Nathan Tyrrell also reduced their positions. Such sales can weigh on sentiment, although both executives retained substantial shareholdings. Read the insider-sale report

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on HST shares. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday. Evercore set a $26.00 target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in a report on Monday, October 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $25.55.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the third quarter worth $50,000. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 12,526.1% in the 3rd quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 2,881 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC grew its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 42,528.6% in the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 2,984 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 2,977 shares during the last quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP increased its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 2,992.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 3,340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 3,232 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 14.6% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 4,931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 629 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

About Host Hotels & Resorts

Host Hotels & Resorts is a real estate investment trust that owns a portfolio of luxury and upper-upscale hotels and resorts. Its properties serve business and leisure travelers and are located primarily in the United States, with additional properties in international markets. The company’s hotels are operated under a range of well-known brands, including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Four Seasons. Host generally relies on brand companies and other third-party operators to manage its properties, while focusing on hotel ownership and real estate investment.