Is it Prudent to Retain Host Hotels Stock in Your Portfolio Now?

Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. HST is expected to witness a stable operating environment due to a continuous improvement in the group business, a gradual recovery in business transient and steady leisure demand. This is likely to support its revenue growth. Also, a strategic capital-recycling program and a healthy balance sheet augur well. However, macroeconomic uncertainty and high interest rates are its concerns.What’s Supporting Host Hotels?Host Hotels has a strong Sunbelt exposure and presence in the top 21 U.S. markets. Its properties are advantageously located in central business districts of major cities with proximity to airports and resort/conference destinations, driving demand. The improvement in group travel demand and business transient demand, led by healthy demand from small and medium-sized businesses, has aided occupancy and revenue per available room (RevPAR) growth over the past few quarters.  The company expects RevPAR to grow in mid-single digits in the first quarter of 2025.The company follows an aggressive capital-recycling strategy that entails the non-strategic dispositions of assets that have lower growth potential or properties with significant capital expenditure requirements and redeploying the proceeds for investments in better-yielding assets. It has prioritized projects in assets and markets that are anticipated to recover faster.Per the company’s February 2025 Investor Presentation, from 2021 through the end of the fourth quarter of 2024, total dispositions amounted to $1.5 billion, which is 17.5 times the EBITDA multiple. Its acquisitions during this period amounted to $3.3 billion, which is 13.3 times the EBITDA multiple. Such efforts highlight its prudent capital-management practices, preserve balance sheet strength and pave the way to capitalize on long-term growth opportunities.Host Hotels has a healthy balance sheet and has been undertaking steps to strengthen its balance sheet. As of Dec. 31, 2024, the company had $2.3 billion in total available liquidity. As of the same date, the weighted average maturity for its debt was 5.2 years, and the weighted average interest rate was 4.7%. Further, as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2024, the company enjoyed investment-grade ratings of Baa3/Positive from Moody’s, BBB-/Stable from S&P Global and BBB/Stable from Fitch, providing access to the debt market at favorable costs.Solid dividend payouts are the biggest attraction for REIT investors, and Host Hotels remained committed to that. Encouragingly, the company has increased its dividend eight times in the last five years and has a 41% payout ratio. Hence, with rebounding operating trends, a lower dividend payout ratio compared with the industry and a healthy financial position, we expect the latest dividend hike to be sustainable in the upcoming period.What’s Hurting Host Hotels?Host Hotels’ growth has been hindered by the slow recovery from the wildfires in Maui and a slower post-pandemic rebound in the San Francisco market. Per the company, these trends are expected to continue into 2025.Moreover, challenges in the supply chain have led to project delays across the United States, and a restrictive lending environment has made it difficult to obtain construction financing for future projects. The company expects that its construction pipeline will remain modest until macroeconomic uncertainties moderate and interest rates drop further.Despite the Federal Reserve announcing rate cuts in the second half of 2024, the interest rate is still high and is a concern for Host Hotels. The company has a substantial debt burden, and its total consolidated debt as of Dec. 31, 2024 was approximately $5.08 billion. For 2025, we project that interest expenses will increase 11.6% year over year.Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have declined 12% over the past month compared with the industry's fall of 3.4%. Analysts seem bearish on this stock, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its 2025 funds from operations (FFO) per share being lowered marginally over the past week to $1.87.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchStocks to ConsiderSome better-ranked stocks from the broader REIT sector are Welltower WELL and Cousins Properties CUZ, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Welltower’s 2025 FFO per share has been moved marginally northward to $4.93 over the past week.The consensus estimate for Cousins Properties’ 2025 FFO per share has been moved upward by 1.8% to $2.79 over the past month.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.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.3% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (HST): Free Stock Analysis Report Cousins Properties Incorporated (CUZ): Free Stock Analysis Report Welltower Inc. (WELL): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks