Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) Receives $161.53 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $161.5333.

A number of analysts recently commented on H shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Hyatt Hotels in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $154.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Citigroup raised shares of Hyatt Hotels from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $138.00 to $167.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Hyatt Hotels from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $147.00 to $168.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Hyatt Hotels in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $154.00 price target on the stock.

Insider Transactions at Hyatt Hotels

In related news, insider Peter Sears sold 12,394 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider directly owned 5,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $869,922.94. This trade represents a 68.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Javier Aguila sold 9,548 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.87, for a total transaction of $1,583,726.76. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 2,684 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $445,195.08. This trade represents a 78.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 33,383 shares of company stock worth $5,321,682 in the last three months. Company insiders own 23.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hyatt Hotels

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in H. Bamco Inc. NY raised its holdings in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 6,116,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $868,139,000 after purchasing an additional 161,461 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Hyatt Hotels by 21.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,715,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $669,221,000 after buying an additional 843,121 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Hyatt Hotels by 7.2% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,159,562 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,437,000 after buying an additional 211,112 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 24.5% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,765,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $392,548,000 after buying an additional 545,003 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 15.8% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,421,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $201,814,000 after acquiring an additional 193,530 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.54% of the company’s stock.

Hyatt Hotels Stock Down 0.6%

H stock opened at $164.64 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. Hyatt Hotels has a 12 month low of $102.43 and a 12 month high of $168.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.63 billion, a PE ratio of -177.03, a P/E/G ratio of 4.16 and a beta of 1.28. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $155.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $147.22.

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). Hyatt Hotels had a negative net margin of 1.27% and a positive return on equity of 3.22%. The company had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.94 EPS. Hyatt Hotels’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Hyatt Hotels will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hyatt Hotels Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Hyatt Hotels’s payout ratio is -64.52%.

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.