Analysts Set Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) Target Price at $172.13

Shares of Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $175.0625.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $188.00 price objective on shares of Hyatt Hotels in a report on Friday, January 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Hyatt Hotels in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $198.00 price target on the stock. Evercore reiterated an “in-line” rating and issued a $175.00 price objective (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Hyatt Hotels in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hyatt Hotels from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $167.00 to $171.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th.

Hyatt Hotels Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE H opened at $168.18 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.97 billion, a P/E ratio of -300.32, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.68. Hyatt Hotels has a one year low of $102.43 and a one year high of $180.53. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $164.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $152.75.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $1.04. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.78 billion. Hyatt Hotels had a negative net margin of 0.73% and a positive return on equity of 5.53%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.42 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Hyatt Hotels will post 3.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hyatt Hotels Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. Hyatt Hotels’s dividend payout ratio is -107.14%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider David Udell sold 4,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.00, for a total transaction of $713,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 13,746 shares in the company, valued at $2,281,836. The trade was a 23.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Javier Aguila sold 9,548 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.87, for a total value of $1,583,726.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 2,684 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $445,195.08. This trade represents a 78.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 23.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hyatt Hotels

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in H. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Hyatt Hotels by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 426,359 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,229,000 after purchasing an additional 29,976 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 8.5% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 143,311 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,556,000 after buying an additional 11,252 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 7.1% in the second quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,055 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Hyatt Hotels in the second quarter worth about $416,000. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its position in Hyatt Hotels by 14.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the company’s stock valued at $704,000 after acquiring an additional 646 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.