Short Interest in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) Drops By 9.7%

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 39,720,000 shares, a decrease of 9.7% from the August 15th total of 44,010,000 shares. Approximately 5.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 7,160,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.5 days.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

HST traded down $0.10 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $16.32. The stock had a trading volume of 3,782,070 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,101,976. The firm has a market cap of $11.61 billion, a PE ratio of 15.70 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 6.57, a quick ratio of 6.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 12 month low of $14.51 and a 12 month high of $19.42. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.78.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 2nd. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.27). Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 11.08% and a net margin of 14.50%. The company had revenue of $1.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.58 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Host Hotels & Resorts will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, September 30th will be paid a $0.18 dividend. This is a boost from Host Hotels & Resorts’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 28th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.41%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.14%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Portside Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the 2nd quarter worth about $405,000. Virginia Retirement Systems ET AL bought a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the second quarter valued at approximately $7,913,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 98.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 210,449 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,546,000 after acquiring an additional 104,142 shares during the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, National Pension Service raised its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 28.9% in the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 448,579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,487,000 after purchasing an additional 100,511 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on HST shares. Oppenheimer raised Host Hotels & Resorts from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $21.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $15.50 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $18.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 12th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Host Hotels & Resorts in a research note on Wednesday, August 23rd. They set a “sell” rating for the company. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $20.39.

About Host Hotels & Resorts

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc is an S&P 500 company and is the largest lodging real estate investment trust and one of the largest owners of luxury and upper-upscale hotels. The Company currently owns 72 properties in the United States and five properties internationally totaling approximately 41,900 rooms.