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Here's Why it is Wise to Hold Host Hotels (HST) Stock Now
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With the recovery in leisure demand in the markets of Miami, Phoenix, Hawaii, and the Sunbelt regions Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. (HST - Free Report) is witnessing a gradual improvement in occupancy and revenue per available room (RevPAR). However, amid constrained business transient demand and delayed return to offices, recovery in the core business transient might be slow.
With the relaxation of regulations related to the pandemic and acceleration in vaccine distribution, hotels reopening and favorable holiday travel trends have enabled Host Hotels to resume operations on a considerable basis. As of Nov 3, the company had opened 79 of 80 hotels. During the third quarter of 2021, HST witnessed an increase in RevPAR and expects the same to continue in the fourth quarter, backed by occupancy gains.
Host Hotels undertakes strategic capital allocations to improve its portfolio quality and strengthen its position in the United States, where it has a greater scale and competitive advantage. The company has made significant acquisitions of high-quality properties over the past years, which have scope for long-term growth. Since the beginning of the year through Nov 3, 2021, HST acquired five hotels and land for a total purchase price of $1.2 billion.
Host Hotels also enjoys a decent balance sheet position and has been undertaking steps to preserve liquidity to withstand the current travel disruptions. As of Sep 30, 2021, it had cash and cash equivalents of $1.04 billion. Moreover, with no material debt maturities until October 2023, Host Hotels has ample financial flexibility for deploying capital for long-term growth opportunities and at the same time, carrying out redevelopment initiatives.
Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have gained 16.9% over the past three months compared with the industry’s growth of 1.4%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
However, constrained business transient and group travel demand is still concerning. Also, the cyclical nature of the hotel industry and exposure to luxury and upper-upscale segments, which remain challenged due to a sharp decline in air travel, and the slower recovery of corporate and group demand, add to the woes.
Key Picks
Some better-ranked stocks from the REIT sector worth a look are Cedar Realty Trust , Alpine Income Property Trust (PINE - Free Report) and Apple Hospitality REIT (APLE - Free Report) .
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cedar Realty Trust’s ongoing year’s FFO per share has been raised 2.6% in the past week.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Alpine Income Property Trust’s ongoing year’s fund from operations (FFO) per share has been raised 2.1% over the past month.
PINE carries a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), currently.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Apple Hospitality REIT’s2021 FFO per share has moved 2.4% upward in the past week.
APLE currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2.
Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represent funds from operations (FFO) — a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs
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Here's Why it is Wise to Hold Host Hotels (HST) Stock Now
With the recovery in leisure demand in the markets of Miami, Phoenix, Hawaii, and the Sunbelt regions Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. (HST - Free Report) is witnessing a gradual improvement in occupancy and revenue per available room (RevPAR). However, amid constrained business transient demand and delayed return to offices, recovery in the core business transient might be slow.
With the relaxation of regulations related to the pandemic and acceleration in vaccine distribution, hotels reopening and favorable holiday travel trends have enabled Host Hotels to resume operations on a considerable basis. As of Nov 3, the company had opened 79 of 80 hotels. During the third quarter of 2021, HST witnessed an increase in RevPAR and expects the same to continue in the fourth quarter, backed by occupancy gains.
Host Hotels undertakes strategic capital allocations to improve its portfolio quality and strengthen its position in the United States, where it has a greater scale and competitive advantage. The company has made significant acquisitions of high-quality properties over the past years, which have scope for long-term growth. Since the beginning of the year through Nov 3, 2021, HST acquired five hotels and land for a total purchase price of $1.2 billion.
Host Hotels also enjoys a decent balance sheet position and has been undertaking steps to preserve liquidity to withstand the current travel disruptions. As of Sep 30, 2021, it had cash and cash equivalents of $1.04 billion. Moreover, with no material debt maturities until October 2023, Host Hotels has ample financial flexibility for deploying capital for long-term growth opportunities and at the same time, carrying out redevelopment initiatives.
Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have gained 16.9% over the past three months compared with the industry’s growth of 1.4%.
However, constrained business transient and group travel demand is still concerning. Also, the cyclical nature of the hotel industry and exposure to luxury and upper-upscale segments, which remain challenged due to a sharp decline in air travel, and the slower recovery of corporate and group demand, add to the woes.
Key Picks
Some better-ranked stocks from the REIT sector worth a look are Cedar Realty Trust , Alpine Income Property Trust (PINE - Free Report) and Apple Hospitality REIT (APLE - Free Report) .
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cedar Realty Trust’s ongoing year’s FFO per share has been raised 2.6% in the past week.
CDR currently flaunts a Zacks Rank of 1 ( Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Alpine Income Property Trust’s ongoing year’s fund from operations (FFO) per share has been raised 2.1% over the past month.
PINE carries a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), currently.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Apple Hospitality REIT’s2021 FFO per share has moved 2.4% upward in the past week.
APLE currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2.
Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represent funds from operations (FFO) — a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs