Valued at a market cap of $14.5 billion, Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (HST) is a Bethesda, Maryland-based real estate investment trust that owns luxury and upper-upscale hotel properties.
This REIT has considerably outpaced the broader market over the past 52 weeks. Shares of HST have rallied 41% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has gained 29%. Moreover, on a YTD basis, the stock is up 17.7%, compared to SPX’s 5.6% rise.
Looking specifically at the REIT space, HST has also outpaced the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE), which gained 5.1% over the past 52 weeks and 9.2% on a YTD basis.
On Feb. 18, HST’s shares surged 1.3% after delivering better-than-expected Q4 results. The company posted adjusted FFO of $0.51 per share, beating Wall Street expectations of $0.47, while its revenue came in at $1.6 billion, exceeding forecasts of $1.5 billion. For fiscal 2026, HST expects FFO to range between $2.03 and $2.11 per share, with revenue in the range of $6 billion to $6.1 billion.
For the current fiscal year, ending in December, analysts expect HST’s FFO per share to decline 4.4% year over year to $1.98. The company’s FFO surprise history is promising. It exceeded the consensus estimates in each of the last four quarters.
Among the 21 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy,” which is based on 11 “Strong Buy,” one “Moderate Buy,” and nine “Hold” ratings.
The configuration is more bullish than two months ago, with nine analysts suggesting a "Strong Buy” rating.
On Apr. 27, Evercore Inc. (EVR) maintained an “In Line” rating on HST and raised its price target to $23, indicating a 10.3% potential upside from the current levels.
The mean price target of $22.05 indicates a 5.7% potential upside from its current levels, while its Street-high price target of $27 suggests a 29.4% premium.
