Norges Bank Acquires Shares of 35,420,993 Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. $HST

Key Points

• Norges Bank disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Host Hotels & Resorts, buying 35,420,993 shares worth about $628 million and owning roughly 5.15% of the company.
• Host Hotels & Resorts recently beat earnings expectations, reporting $0.67 EPS versus the $0.36 consensus and revenue of $1.65 billion versus estimates of $1.59 billion, while also raising its FY2026 EPS guidance to 2.10–2.16.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 3.5%, reinforcing its appeal for income-focused investors.

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 35,420,993 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $628,014,000. Norges Bank owned approximately 5.15% of Host Hotels & Resorts as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 79.6% in 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 in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 234.1% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,911 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,339 shares in the last quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in Host Hotels & Resorts in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.52% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on HST shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Host Hotels & Resorts has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $22.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Nathan S. Tyrrell sold 58,579 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.00, for a total transaction of $1,288,738.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 697,658 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,348,476. The trade was a 7.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Host Hotels & Resorts

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several earnings estimates for Host Hotels & Resorts, including FY2026, FY2027, FY2028 and multiple quarterly forecasts, signaling improved expectations for future profitability. Host Hotels & Resorts analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s most recent quarterly results beat Wall Street expectations, with EPS and revenue both coming in above estimates, which continues to support the bullish case for HST. Host Hotels & Resorts earnings results
• Positive Sentiment: Host Hotels & Resorts also declared a quarterly dividend, reinforcing its appeal for income-focused investors and highlighting ongoing cash generation. Host Hotels & Resorts dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: An executive sold shares recently, but the transaction was relatively small compared with the executive’s remaining stake and does not appear to be a major signal on its own. Nathan Tyrrell insider sale
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no meaningful change in positioning, so it is unlikely to be a key driver of the stock’s move. Host Hotels & Resorts short interest

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

HST opened at $22.98 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.74 billion, a PE ratio of 15.63, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.10. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a twelve month low of $15.07 and a twelve month high of $23.54. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $20.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.37. The company has a current ratio of 7.91, a quick ratio of 7.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 16.40% and a return on equity of 15.15%. Host Hotels & Resorts's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. Host Hotels & Resorts has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.16 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 2.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Host Hotels & Resorts's payout ratio is presently 54.42%.

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.

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