Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $162.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Evercore ISI reissued an in-line rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Hyatt Hotels in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Hyatt Hotels from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Hyatt Hotels from $95.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hyatt Hotels presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $143.19.

Hyatt Hotels Price Performance

Shares of NYSE H opened at $147.84 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $154.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $134.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The company has a market cap of $14.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 72.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 21.47 and a beta of 1.49. Hyatt Hotels has a 1-year low of $96.77 and a 1-year high of $161.50.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.26. Hyatt Hotels had a net margin of 3.30% and a return on equity of 7.59%. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.55 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Hyatt Hotels will post 3.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hyatt Hotels Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 28th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 27th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.41%. Hyatt Hotels’s payout ratio is currently 29.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hyatt Hotels

In related news, insider Margaret C. Egan sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.78, for a total transaction of $157,780.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 20,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,241,747.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Hyatt Hotels news, insider Margaret C. Egan sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.78, for a total value of $157,780.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 20,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,241,747.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder F.L.P. Trust #14 sold 1,283,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.96, for a total value of $200,096,680.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,084,248 shares of company stock valued at $326,572,489. 23.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hyatt Hotels

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Hyatt Hotels during the fourth quarter valued at $1,472,000. Whittier Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 49,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,496,000 after buying an additional 1,260 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 0.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,256,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $239,367,000 after buying an additional 11,041 shares during the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Hyatt Hotels during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,382,000. Finally, Gulf International Bank UK Ltd grew its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 8,771.9% in the 4th quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 5,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $659,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.02% of the company’s stock.

About Hyatt Hotels

Hyatt Hotels Corporation operates as a hospitality company in the United States and internationally. It operates through Owned and Leased Hotels, Americas Management and Franchising, ASPAC Management and Franchising, EAME Management and Franchising, and Apple Leisure Group segments. The company manages, franchises, licenses, owns, and leases portfolio of properties, consisting of full-service hotels and resorts, select service hotels, and other properties, including timeshare, fractional, residential, vacation, and condominium units.