Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Hyatt Hotels Co. (NYSE:H) saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 1,104,330 shares were traded 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

H has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $163.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $157.00 to $144.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com downgraded Hyatt Hotels from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, February 17th. Barclays cut their target price on Hyatt Hotels from $162.00 to $151.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Hyatt Hotels from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $175.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hyatt Hotels has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $162.24.

Hyatt Hotels Stock Up 1.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 1.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $148.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $151.88.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by ($0.22). The company had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. Hyatt Hotels had a return on equity of 9.81% and a net margin of 19.50%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. Sell-side 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 issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.49%. Hyatt Hotels’s payout ratio is currently 4.82%.

Insider Activity

In other Hyatt Hotels news, Director Susan D. Kronick sold 1,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.78, for a total value of $226,848.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 37,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,377,290.06. This represents a 4.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 23.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hyatt Hotels

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

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.