Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST)

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors purchased 2,511 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 93% compared to the average daily volume of 1,303 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BROOKFIELD Corp ON purchased a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 212.7% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the second quarter worth $30,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 44.5% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,816 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 867 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in the second quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of HST opened at $17.26 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 4.55 and a current ratio of 2.90. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 1 year low of $15.71 and a 1 year high of $21.31. The company’s fifty day moving average is $17.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.70.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.29 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 12.92%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Host Hotels & Resorts will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.63%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on HST shares. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 13th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. UBS Group cut their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Host Hotels & Resorts has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.21.

Host Hotels & Resorts Company Profile

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 42,000 rooms.