Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $198.25.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Hyatt Hotels in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $203.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $221.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Hyatt Hotels in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Freedom Broker assumed coverage on Hyatt Hotels in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $192.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Hyatt Hotels from $211.00 to $224.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Trending Headlines about Hyatt Hotels

Here are the key news stories impacting Hyatt Hotels this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target for Hyatt from $211 to $224 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying substantial potential upside based on the cited share price. Morgan Stanley Adjusts Price Target on Hyatt Hotels
• Positive Sentiment: Hyatt is targeting more than 250 hotels in India by 2030 and plans to hire over 30,000 employees. The expansion could increase Hyatt’s long-term fee-based revenue and presence in a growing travel market, although it will require significant execution. Hyatt India Expansion Plans
• Positive Sentiment: Hyatt’s first Turks and Caicos resort, an Andaz-branded beachfront property with multiple dining concepts and rooftop plunge pools, should strengthen the company’s luxury and resort pipeline when it opens. Hyatt Turks and Caicos Resort
• Neutral Sentiment: New hotel openings in Missouri add rooms to Hyatt’s network and may support future fee revenue, but the financial contribution is likely to be modest initially. Missouri Hotel Opening Impact
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan Chase reduced its price target for Hyatt, signaling more cautious expectations for valuation or near-term operating performance. The report’s target reduction contrasts with Morgan Stanley’s bullish revision. JPMorgan Cuts Hyatt Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are preparing for Hyatt’s upcoming quarterly earnings report. Zacks said the company lacks the typical combination of factors supporting a likely earnings beat, increasing the risk of a disappointing release or cautious outlook. Hyatt Earnings Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market selling and inflation concerns, including sharply higher oil prices, are creating a less favorable backdrop for economically sensitive travel and lodging stocks such as Hyatt.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hyatt Hotels

In other news, Director Susan D. Kronick sold 1,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.88, for a total value of $305,796.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 29,525 shares in the company, valued at $5,310,957. This represents a 5.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Amar Lalvani sold 1,364 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.06, for a total transaction of $222,413.84. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,894 shares in the company, valued at $798,015.64. The trade was a 21.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 23.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 19.3% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 296,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,608,000 after buying an additional 48,002 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Hyatt Hotels in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $56,408,000. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 70.9% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 189,272 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,215,000 after buying an additional 78,544 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 5.2% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 158,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,855,000 after acquiring an additional 7,835 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in Hyatt Hotels by 6.4% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 122,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,643,000 after acquiring an additional 7,400 shares during the period. 73.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hyatt Hotels Stock Performance

H opened at $172.59 on Wednesday. Hyatt Hotels has a 1-year low of $134.18 and a 1-year high of $206.86. The company has a market cap of $16.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 210.47 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $165.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $175.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. Hyatt Hotels had a net margin of 1.10% and a return on equity of 7.27%. The business’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.68 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Hyatt Hotels will post 3.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hyatt Hotels Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 27th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 27th. Hyatt Hotels’s payout ratio is currently 73.17%.

About Hyatt Hotels

Hyatt Hotels Corporation is a global hospitality company that develops, owns, manages, franchises and licenses hotels, resorts, vacation properties and other lodging-related businesses. Its portfolio serves business and leisure travelers across full-service, select-service, luxury, lifestyle, wellness, all-inclusive and extended-stay segments.

The company operates a broad collection of brands, including Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Andaz, Thompson Hotels, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Miraval, Alila, Destination by Hyatt and The Unbound Collection by Hyatt.