Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Here’s What Happened

Hyatt Hotels Co. (NYSE:H) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 1,104,330 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 44% from the previous session’s volume of 767,693 shares.The stock last traded at $121.57 and had previously closed at $124.78.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on H shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $157.00 to $144.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Evercore ISI raised Hyatt Hotels from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $175.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $172.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Hyatt Hotels from $170.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $163.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $162.24.

Hyatt Hotels Trading Up 1.2 %

The stock has a market cap of $11.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $148.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $151.88.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.64 by ($0.22). Hyatt Hotels had a net margin of 19.50% and a return on equity of 9.81%. The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Hyatt Hotels Co. will post 3.05 EPS for the current year.

Hyatt Hotels Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.49%. Hyatt Hotels’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hyatt Hotels

In other news, Director Susan D. Kronick sold 1,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.78, for a total value of $226,848.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 37,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,377,290.06. The trade was a 4.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 23.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hyatt Hotels

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in Hyatt Hotels during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 583.3% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 205 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 99.0% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hyatt Hotels during the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 750.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.54% 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.