Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc. (AHT)

The company reported a Q3 loss and lagged revenue estimates. Ashford announced an agreement to sell the Residence Inn San Diego Sorrento Mesa. The Board of Directors formed a Special Committee to evaluate strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value, concurrently terminating its Series L and M non-traded preferred stock offering and suspending redemptions, leading to a stock price gain. Ashford Hospitality Trust announced the extension of its Highland mortgage loan and the suspension of preferred dividends, resulting in a stock price drop. The company announced tax reporting information for 2025 preferred share distributions and set the dates for its fourth-quarter earnings release and conference call. Over the last 12 months, AHT's price fell by 48.71% (as of April 9, 2025), and more recently, the stock declined by 52.16% from February 5, 2025, to February 4, 2026, with a 52-week low of $2.90 on December 3, 2025.

Demand for Ashford Hospitality Trust's hotel stays exhibits seasonality. The second quarter of 2025 was the softest period for the group segment, experiencing a decline in group revenue and comparable hotel RevPAR due to the late timing of Easter and headwinds from government initiatives. Resort assets performed well in Q2 2025, with group revenue increasing. Group demand was pacing ahead for Q3 2025, and the company anticipates a significant demand catalyst from the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on investing in upper-upscale, full-service hotels across the United States. The company operates within the Real Estate sector and the Hotel/Motel REITs industry, specifically the lodging industry, conducting its business through Ashford Hospitality Limited Partnership. Its hotel properties are predominantly branded under major upscale and upper-upscale brands such as Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and Intercontinental Hotel Group. The company's portfolio consists of approximately 65 to 103 consolidated operating hotel properties, representing between 16,416 and 22,619 total rooms. Ashford Hospitality Trust's investment strategy focuses on hotels with revenue per available room generally less than twice the U.S. national average.

Ashford Hospitality Trust's hotel properties are primarily located across the United States. A significant portion of its portfolio, 42%, is strategically located in host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including Miami, Dallas, and Washington D.C., positioning the company to benefit from this global event. The company also has an investment in the Meritage Resort and Spa and the Grand Reserve at the Meritage in Napa, California. Additionally, it holds interests in approximately 90 hotel condominium units at WorldQuest Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Ashford Hospitality Trust launched the "GRO AHT" strategic initiative to drive EBITDA growth and improve shareholder value, with early results showing strong growth in key metrics. The company successfully repositioned assets by converting the La Concha Hotel and the Le Pavillon Hotel, both exceeding expectations post-conversion. Management expressed frustration over the discrepancy between portfolio value and market value, leading to the formation of a Special Committee. Levi & Korsinsky commenced an investigation into Ashford Hospitality Trust concerning potential securities law violations following the suspension of preferred dividends.

Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc. has a mix of institutional and individual/insider ownership. As of February 4, 2026, institutional ownership stands at 20.08% or 12.33%, with 38 institutional owners holding a total of 1,301,407 shares. Major institutional shareholders include CastleKnight Management LP, Vanguard Group Inc, Varde Management, L.P., VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares, VEXMX - Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund Investor Shares, Geode Capital Management, Llc, BlackRock, Inc., Renaissance Technologies Llc, and Susquehanna International Group, Llp. Insider ownership is reported as 33.50% or 87.38%. Key individual and insider owners include Monty J. Bennett, Archie Bennett Jr., Security Capital Preferred Growth Inc, David A. Brooks, David J. Kimichik, Douglas A. Kessler, and Robert G. Haiman.