Host Hotels & Resorts Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:HST)

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 3,019 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 362% compared to the typical volume of 653 call options.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Down 2.5 %

NASDAQ:HST opened at $16.93 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.60, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.33. Host Hotels & Resorts has a 1-year low of $14.92 and a 1-year high of $21.31. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $17.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $18.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 4.55 and a quick ratio of 4.55.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 28th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.73%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.43%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Host Hotels & Resorts

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 147,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,647,000 after purchasing an additional 13,856 shares during the last quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel raised its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 96,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,732,000 after acquiring an additional 9,847 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 7.9% during the 2nd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 98,922 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,779,000 after acquiring an additional 7,273 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter worth about $340,000. Finally, Creative Planning increased its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 16.6% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 45,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $820,000 after purchasing an additional 6,505 shares during the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 12th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $20.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Compass Point downgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $25.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.31.

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 42,000 rooms.