Investors Purchase Large Volume of Put Options on Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST)

Key Points

• Unusually high put-option activity: Investors purchased 3,201 put options on Host Hotels & Resorts, approximately 128% above its typical daily volume.
• Shares declined to $22.59 during Monday trading, below the 50-day moving average of $24.12 but above the 200-day average of $21.73.
• Analyst sentiment remains moderately positive: The stock has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $24.33, while several analysts recently raised their targets.

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Stock investors purchased 3,201 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 128% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,402 put options.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HST traded down $0.30 during trading on Monday, reaching $22.59. The company had a trading volume of 1,049,459 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,054,216. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 2.96 and a quick ratio of 2.96. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $24.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.73. Host Hotels & Resorts has a fifty-two week low of $15.61 and a fifty-two week high of $25.71.

Insider Activity

In other Host Hotels & Resorts news, EVP Nathan S. Tyrrell sold 15,569 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.00, for a total transaction of $358,087.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 682,089 shares in the company, valued at $15,688,047. This represents a 2.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Host Hotels & Resorts

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HST. Waterloo Capital L.P. raised its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 543.6% during the 4th quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 166,859 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,958,000 after buying an additional 140,932 shares during the last quarter. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension purchased a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at about $23,632,000. Convergence Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the fourth quarter valued at about $843,000. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 41.8% during the fourth quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 2,169,471 shares of the company's stock worth $38,465,000 after purchasing an additional 639,695 shares during the period. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 139.2% during the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 141,640 shares of the company's stock worth $2,511,000 after purchasing an additional 82,420 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.52% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Citigroup raised their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings cut Host Hotels & Resorts from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Host Hotels & Resorts has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.33.

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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