Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 93,348 Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. $HST

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 8.3% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,035,993 shares of the company’s stock after selling 93,348 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $19,850,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,218 shares of the company’s stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 33,581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $595,000 after buying an additional 607 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 5,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 64.7% during the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 1,632 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 641 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 29,829 shares of the company’s stock valued at $529,000 after acquiring an additional 654 shares in the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Host Hotels & Resorts

In other news, EVP Nathan S. Tyrrell sold 58,579 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.00, for a total value of $1,288,738.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 697,658 shares in the company, valued at $15,348,476. This trade represents a 7.75% 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 owned by insiders.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of HST stock opened at $24.44 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 7.91, a current ratio of 7.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $23.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.99. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a 52 week low of $15.11 and a 52 week high of $25.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.74 billion, a PE ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.09.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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 research analysts expect that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup upped their price objective on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Host Hotels & Resorts from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Argus set a $27.00 target price on Host Hotels & Resorts in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH boosted their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $24.20.

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.