Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) Price Target Raised to $164.00

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) had its price target increased by Stifel Nicolaus from $158.00 to $164.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the stock.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on H. Barclays upgraded shares of Hyatt Hotels from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $161.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Hyatt Hotels in a report on Monday. Citigroup upgraded Hyatt Hotels from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $138.00 to $167.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Hyatt Hotels in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $154.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Hyatt Hotels from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $147.00 to $168.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.56.

Hyatt Hotels Trading Up 3.2%

Shares of NYSE H opened at $165.53 on Wednesday. Hyatt Hotels has a 12-month low of $102.43 and a 12-month high of $168.10. The company has a market cap of $15.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -177.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $156.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $147.85.

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

Hyatt Hotels Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Investors of record on Monday, November 24th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. Hyatt Hotels’s payout ratio is presently -64.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hyatt Hotels

In other news, insider Javier Aguila sold 9,548 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.87, for a total transaction of $1,583,726.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 2,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $445,195.08. This trade represents a 78.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider David Udell sold 4,300 shares of Hyatt Hotels stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.00, for a total transaction of $713,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 13,746 shares in the company, valued at $2,281,836. This represents a 23.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 33,383 shares of company stock valued at $5,321,682. 23.70% of the stock is owned by 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 H. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 17.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 147,333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,911,000 after purchasing an additional 22,071 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 17.8% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 483 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its position in Hyatt Hotels by 18.0% during the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 2,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $407,000 after buying an additional 437 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in Hyatt Hotels in the 3rd quarter worth about $215,000. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Hyatt Hotels during the 3rd quarter worth about $212,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.54% of the company’s stock.

About Hyatt Hotels

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.