Lazard Asset Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. $HST

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 23.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 383,324 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 71,897 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned about 0.06% of Host Hotels & Resorts worth $7,344,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 89.1% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 1,658 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 781 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 64.7% in the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 1,632 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 641 shares in the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Host Hotels & Resorts during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.52% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Host Hotels & Resorts

In other news, EVP Nathan S. Tyrrell sold 15,569 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.00, for a total transaction of $358,087.00. Following the completion of 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 SEC, which is available at this link. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Host Hotels & Resorts Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of HST stock opened at $25.09 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $24.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 7.91 and a quick ratio of 7.91. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 1-year low of $15.11 and a 1-year high of $25.71. The firm has a market cap of $17.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.07, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.09.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.31. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 16.40% and a return on equity of 15.15%. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. Host Hotels & Resorts’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Host Hotels & Resorts has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.16 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s payout ratio is currently 54.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on HST. Argus set a $27.00 price target on Host Hotels & Resorts in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Barclays increased their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $26.25 target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Host Hotels & Resorts presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $24.27.

Host Hotels & Resorts Profile

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.