Hyatt Hotels Co. (NYSE:H) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Hyatt Hotels Co. (NYSE:H) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,750,000 shares, a decrease of 13.4% from the March 15th total of 4,330,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 703,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.3 days.

Hyatt Hotels Stock Performance

Hyatt Hotels stock traded down $2.29 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $149.71. 492,507 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 688,482. Hyatt Hotels has a 12 month low of $96.77 and a 12 month high of $161.50. The firm has a market cap of $15.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 73.39, a PEG ratio of 21.79 and a beta of 1.49. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $150.27 and a 200 day moving average of $129.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.26. Hyatt Hotels had a return on equity of 7.59% and a net margin of 3.30%. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.55 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hyatt Hotels will post 3.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Hyatt Hotels Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 28th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 27th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. Hyatt Hotels’s payout ratio is 29.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on H. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com cut shares of Hyatt Hotels from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Hyatt Hotels in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $119.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic downgraded Hyatt Hotels from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $120.00 to $130.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hyatt Hotels presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Traubert Foundation Pritzker sold 704,229 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.97, for a total transaction of $111,247,055.13. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Traubert Foundation Pritzker sold 704,229 shares of Hyatt Hotels stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.97, for a total transaction of $111,247,055.13. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Margaret C. Egan sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.78, for a total transaction of $157,780.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 20,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,241,747.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,077,803 shares of company stock valued at $325,526,849. 23.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. State of Wyoming raised its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $197,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 3.0% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $343,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $343,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 49.8% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 382 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. 71.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.