Gradient Investments LLC Makes New $1.58 Million Investment in Hyatt Hotels Corporation $H

Key Points

• Gradient Investments acquired 8,149 Hyatt shares worth approximately $1.58 million in the second quarter, while institutional investors collectively own 73.54% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with nine Buy ratings and six Holds and an average price target of $196.93, above the reported share price of $177.67.
• Hyatt exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.12 EPS versus $0.91 expected and $1.83 billion in revenue; it also declared a $0.15 quarterly dividend, yielding about 0.3% annually.

Gradient Investments LLC acquired a new position in Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 8,149 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,580,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Scott & Selber Inc. purchased a new stake in Hyatt Hotels in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $203,000. Cooper Financial Group lifted its holdings in Hyatt Hotels by 6.2% during the second quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 4,934 shares of the company's stock valued at $956,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab lifted its holdings in Hyatt Hotels by 7.3% during the second quarter. PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab now owns 8,230 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,595,000 after purchasing an additional 560 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 24.3% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,701 shares of the company's stock worth $330,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 1.0% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 6,625 shares of the company's stock worth $953,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. 73.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on H shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Hyatt Hotels in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Hyatt Hotels from $182.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $182.00 price target on Hyatt Hotels in a report on Friday, May 29th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $219.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $185.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $196.93.

Hyatt Hotels Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:H opened at $177.67 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.62. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $189.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $170.95. Hyatt Hotels Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $134.00 and a fifty-two week high of $206.86. The firm has a market cap of $16.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 216.67 and a beta of 1.33.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Hyatt Hotels had a net margin of 1.10% and a return on equity of 7.27%. Hyatt Hotels's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hyatt Hotels Corporation will post 3.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hyatt Hotels Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 27th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 27th. Hyatt Hotels's payout ratio is 73.17%.

Insider Transactions at Hyatt Hotels

In related news, insider Peter Sears sold 10,217 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.66, for a total transaction of $1,896,888.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 6,374 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,183,396.84. This represents a 61.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Susan D. Kronick sold 1,119 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.51, for a total value of $195,276.69. Following the transaction, the director owned 31,225 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,449,074.75. This represents a 3.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 23,224 shares of company stock valued at $4,173,605 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 23.60% 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.

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