Vestcor Inc Raises Stock Holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. $HST

Key Points

• Vestcor Inc boosted its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 349.1% in Q3 to 155,566 shares (an additional 120,928 shares) worth about $2.65 million.
• Host missed Q earnings estimates with EPS of $0.20 vs. $0.47 consensus despite revenue rising 12.3%, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 (4.2% yield; $0.80 annualized).
• Institutional ownership is very high at 98.52%, with large repositioning including Russell Investments adding ~2.999 million shares, while insider Nathan Tyrrell sold 11,954 shares (a 1.76% cut to his holding).

Vestcor Inc boosted its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST - Free Report) by 349.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 155,566 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 120,928 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc's holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $2,648,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swiss National Bank raised its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 1,345,179 shares of the company's stock worth $22,895,000 after purchasing an additional 22,900 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 68.6% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 7,370,907 shares of the company's stock valued at $125,454,000 after buying an additional 2,999,082 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.9% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 37,406 shares of the company's stock valued at $637,000 after buying an additional 1,038 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 4.6% during the third quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 82,382 shares of the company's stock worth $1,329,000 after acquiring an additional 3,633 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,416,000. 98.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Host Hotels & Resorts news, EVP Nathan S. Tyrrell sold 11,954 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.15, for a total value of $216,965.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 668,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,141,025.05. This trade represents a 1.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Host Hotels & Resorts Price Performance

HST opened at $19.25 on Wednesday. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 52-week low of $12.22 and a 52-week high of $21.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of $19.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.93. The company has a market cap of $13.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.44 EPS. The business's revenue 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. On average, analysts expect that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. Host Hotels & Resorts's payout ratio is 72.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on HST. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $19.00 price objective for the company. Evercore downgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from an "outperform" rating to an "in-line" rating and set a $20.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, UBS Group set a $21.00 price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in a report on Friday, January 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Host Hotels & Resorts has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $20.00.

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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