Graham Capital Management L.P. Grows Stake in Hyatt Hotels Corporation $H

Key Points

• Graham Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in Hyatt Hotels Corporation by 326.6% in Q1, now owning 18,799 shares valued at approximately $2.3 million.
• Several analysts have updated their ratings on Hyatt Hotels, with Raymond James Financial raising its rating to "strong buy" and setting a target price of $165.
• Hyatt Hotels recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15, which translates to a 0.4% dividend yield, with a payout ratio of 14.25%.

Graham Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H - Free Report) by 326.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,799 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,392 shares during the quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P.'s holdings in Hyatt Hotels were worth $2,303,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in H. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in shares of Hyatt Hotels in the fourth quarter valued at $315,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 385,101 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,453,000 after purchasing an additional 78,144 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 21.4% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 34,273 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,380,000 after purchasing an additional 6,039 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new position in Hyatt Hotels during the fourth quarter worth about $769,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 5,853 shares of the company's stock valued at $919,000 after acquiring an additional 1,146 shares in the last quarter. 73.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hyatt Hotels Price Performance

Shares of H traded down $0.37 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $144.91. The stock had a trading volume of 611,825 shares, compared to its average volume of 893,931. The company's 50-day moving average is $143.85 and its 200 day moving average is $132.35. Hyatt Hotels Corporation has a 12-month low of $102.43 and a 12-month high of $168.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The company has a market capitalization of $13.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.43.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.06. Hyatt Hotels had a return on equity of 6.54% and a net margin of 6.39%.The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.53 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Hyatt Hotels Corporation will post 3.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hyatt Hotels Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 27th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 27th. Hyatt Hotels's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider David Udell sold 4,051 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $587,395.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,756 shares in the company, valued at $2,429,620. This trade represents a 19.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan D. Kronick sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 37,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,106,375. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,542 shares of company stock valued at $1,457,606 in the last 90 days. 23.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on H. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Hyatt Hotels from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $158.00 to $156.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Hyatt Hotels from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $165.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $148.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Hyatt Hotels from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $151.89.

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.