Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $161.5333.

Several research analysts have commented on H shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Hyatt Hotels from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $147.00 to $168.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Barclays upgraded shares of Hyatt Hotels from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $161.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Hyatt Hotels from $155.00 to $158.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Hyatt Hotels in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $154.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Hyatt Hotels from $154.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th.

Hyatt Hotels Price Performance

Shares of NYSE H opened at $165.48 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $15.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -177.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.15 and a beta of 1.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $154.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $146.47. Hyatt Hotels has a 1-year low of $102.43 and a 1-year high of $168.10.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.30) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.79). The company had revenue of $1.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Hyatt Hotels had a positive return on equity of 3.22% and a negative net margin of 1.27%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.94 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Hyatt Hotels will post 3.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hyatt Hotels Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. Hyatt Hotels’s payout ratio is currently -64.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hyatt Hotels

In related news, insider Peter Sears sold 12,394 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.51, for a total value of $1,927,390.94. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $869,922.94. This trade represents a 68.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider David Udell sold 4,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.00, for a total transaction of $713,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 13,746 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,281,836. This trade represents a 23.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 23,835 shares of company stock valued at $3,737,955. Company insiders own 23.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in H. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Hyatt Hotels by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 483 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 18.0% in the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 2,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 437 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hyatt Hotels during the third quarter worth about $215,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Hyatt Hotels during the third quarter worth about $212,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Hyatt Hotels in the third quarter valued at about $3,082,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.54% of the company’s stock.

Hyatt Hotels Company Profile

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) is a global hospitality company that develops, owns, manages and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts and vacation properties. Its portfolio spans a range of price points and styles under brands such as Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Andaz, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Thompson Hotels, Alila and Destination by Hyatt. In addition to accommodations, the company provides meeting and event spaces, food and beverage outlets, spa and wellness centers, and a variety of guest services designed to cater to both leisure and business travelers.

Hyatt’s business model combines property ownership, management contracts and third-party franchising.