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Host Hotels Gears Up to Report Q4 Earnings: Key Factors to Consider

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Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (HST - Free Report) is scheduled to release fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 earnings results on Feb. 19, after market close. While the company’s quarterly results are likely to display a year-over-year rise in revenues, adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) per share might display a decline.

See the Zacks Earnings Calendar to stay ahead of market-making news.

In the previous quarter, this Bethesda, MD-based lodging real estate investment trust (REIT) reported an AFFO per share of 36 cents, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Results reflected a year-over-year rise in revenues.

Over the trailing four quarters, Host Hotels’ AFFO per share surpassed estimates on two occasions and met in the remaining periods, the average surprise being 3.2%. The graph below depicts this surprise history:

 

 

Factors to Consider Ahead of HST’s Upcoming Results

Host Hotels enjoys a portfolio of luxury and upper-scale hotels across the top U.S. Markets and the Sunbelt region. These properties are strategically located in central business districts of major cities near airports and resort/conference destinations, which drives demand.

The continuous strong group business demand has aided hotel revenue per available (RevPAR) growth over the past few quarters. This trend is likely to have continued in the fourth quarter.

Host Hotels’ strategic capital allocations are likely to have improved portfolio quality and strengthened position in the United States, where it has a greater scale and competitive advantage. This is likely to have given it an edge and drove margin expansion.

However, high interest expenses are likely to have been a spoilsport for HST during the to-be-reported quarter.

HST’s Q4 Estimations

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HST’s quarterly revenues is presently pegged at $1.38 billion, implying growth of 4.2% from the prior-year period’s reported figure.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly RevPAR is pinned at $207.6, indicating an increase from $202.9 reported in the year-ago quarter.

However, the consensus mark for the average occupancy rate in the fourth quarter is pegged at 67.05%, implying a slight decline from the prior-year quarter’s reported figure of 67.20%.

We expect fourth-quarter 2024 interest expenses to have risen 22.5% year over year.

The company’s activities during the to-be-reported quarter were inadequate to garner analysts’ confidence. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AFFO per share has revised a cent downward to 40 cents in the past two months. The figure implies a 9.1% fall from the year-ago reported number.

2024 Estimations for HST

For 2024, Host Hotels expects an AFFO per share of $1.92. The company has kept its comparable hotel RevPAR projection for the year at $215.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AFFO per share remains the same as the company’s guidance. The figure indicates no change year over year on 6.1% growth in revenues to $5.63 billion.

What Our Quantitative Model Predicts

Our proven model predicts a likely surprise in terms of AFFO per share for Host Hotels this season. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an AFFO beat, which is the case here.

Host Hotels currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.53% and carries a Zacks Rank of 3. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Other Stocks That Warrant a Look

Here are two other stocks from the broader REIT sector — Park Hotels & Resorts (PK - Free Report) and Ryman Hospitality Properties (RHP - Free Report) — that you may want to consider, as our model shows that these, too, have the right combination of elements to report a surprise this quarter.

Park Hotels is slated to report quarterly numbers on Feb. 19. PK has an Earnings ESP of +10.69% and carries a Zacks Rank of 3 presently. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Ryman Hospitality, scheduled to report quarterly numbers on Feb. 20, has an Earnings ESP of +4.91% and a Zacks Rank of 3.

Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO), a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.


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