HighTower Advisors LLC Cuts Stake in Hyatt Hotels Corporation $H

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC cut its Hyatt Hotels stake by 41.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 5,735 shares and leaving it with 8,027 shares valued at about $1.29 million.
• Hyatt reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.63 versus $0.57 expected and revenue of $1.75 billion versus $1.74 billion expected.
• Analysts remain generally constructive on the stock, with a Moderate Buy consensus and a $191 average target price, while Hyatt also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share.

HighTower Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H - Free Report) by 41.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,027 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,735 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in Hyatt Hotels were worth $1,287,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in H. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 84.5% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,228,396 shares of the company's stock valued at $171,545,000 after buying an additional 562,611 shares during the period. Par Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 551.8% in the 2nd quarter. Par Capital Management Inc. now owns 371,261 shares of the company's stock worth $51,847,000 after acquiring an additional 314,300 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 2,577.7% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 233,040 shares of the company's stock worth $37,361,000 after acquiring an additional 224,337 shares in the last quarter. Candlestick Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 53.9% in the 3rd quarter. Candlestick Capital Management LP now owns 631,290 shares of the company's stock worth $89,599,000 after acquiring an additional 221,039 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP raised its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 57.2% in the 3rd quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP now owns 606,233 shares of the company's stock worth $86,043,000 after acquiring an additional 220,661 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.54% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Hyatt Hotels

Here are the key news stories impacting Hyatt Hotels this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CNBC’s “Final Trades” segment highlighted Hyatt, with BMO Capital Markets’ Belski and other commentators expressing support for the name, which can reinforce investor confidence. Article: American Airlines, Hyatt Hotels And More On CNBC's 'Final Trades'
• Positive Sentiment: Hyatt’s summer promotions, including member savings of up to 25% and bonus-point offers, could help drive bookings and occupancy during a key travel period. Article: World of Hyatt Debuts Global Summer Offers
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings showed Hyatt beat expectations on both EPS and revenue, and analysts have generally maintained a moderate buy view with several price-target increases, supporting the stock’s longer-term momentum. Reference: Hyatt Hotels stock page

Insider Activity

In other Hyatt Hotels news, Director Susan D. Kronick sold 1,119 shares of Hyatt Hotels stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.51, for a total transaction of $195,276.69. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 31,225 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,449,074.75. The trade was a 3.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 1,119 shares of Hyatt Hotels stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.96, for a total value of $195,780.24. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 237,458 shares of company stock worth $40,093,807 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 23.60% of the company's stock.

Hyatt Hotels Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of H stock opened at $186.18 on Thursday. Hyatt Hotels Corporation has a 1-year low of $127.59 and a 1-year high of $190.00. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $163.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $161.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of $17.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -531.93 and a beta of 1.33.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.06. Hyatt Hotels had a positive return on equity of 6.01% and a negative net margin of 0.48%.The firm had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.46 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Hyatt Hotels Corporation will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hyatt Hotels Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. Hyatt Hotels's payout ratio is -171.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Hyatt Hotels from $195.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $182.00 price target on Hyatt Hotels in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Hyatt Hotels from $219.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Hyatt Hotels from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Hyatt Hotels from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $191.00.

Hyatt Hotels Company Profile

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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