Hyatt Hotels Co. (NYSE:H) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Hyatt Hotels Co. (NYSE:H) saw a significant growth in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 5,030,000 shares, a growth of 5.0% from the September 15th total of 4,790,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 565,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 8.9 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on H shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $141.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Hyatt Hotels from $162.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $204.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $127.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $148.47.

Hyatt Hotels Price Performance

H traded up $0.11 during trading on Thursday, hitting $153.63. 121,778 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 587,023. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $148.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $149.18. The company has a market cap of $15.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.84 and a beta of 1.50. Hyatt Hotels has a twelve month low of $96.77 and a twelve month high of $162.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.58. The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.76 billion. Hyatt Hotels had a net margin of 14.55% and a return on equity of 10.25%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Hyatt Hotels will post 3.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hyatt Hotels Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 27th. Hyatt Hotels’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hyatt Hotels news, insider Mark Samuel Hoplamazian sold 51,388 shares of Hyatt Hotels stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.77, for a total value of $7,696,380.76. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 623,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $93,389,982.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 23.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hyatt Hotels

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in H. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Hyatt Hotels during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Hyatt Hotels during the first quarter worth $27,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in Hyatt Hotels during the second quarter worth $30,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt acquired a new position in Hyatt Hotels in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Hyatt Hotels by 1,107.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 338 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the period. 71.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hyatt Hotels Company Profile

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.