Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) Upgraded to "Buy" at Citigroup

Key Points

• Hyatt Hotels was upgraded by Citigroup from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating, raising the price target from $138.00 to $167.00, indicating a potential upside of 15.07% from the current price.
• Multiple brokerages have varying ratings for Hyatt Hotels, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $152.68.
• In the latest quarterly earnings, Hyatt reported $0.68 earnings per share, exceeding estimates, with revenues of $1.81 billion also surpassing expectations.

Citigroup upgraded shares of Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H - Free Report) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $167.00 price objective on the stock, up from their prior price objective of $138.00.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on H. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Hyatt Hotels from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Barclays reduced their price objective 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. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $148.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Hyatt Hotels from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Sunday, August 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hyatt Hotels presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $152.68.

Hyatt Hotels Stock Down 1.5%

H traded down $2.26 on Tuesday, hitting $143.56. 789,705 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 943,378. Hyatt Hotels has a 12 month low of $102.43 and a 12 month high of $168.20. The company has a market cap of $13.71 billion, a PE ratio of 34.10, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.70. The stock's fifty day moving average is $143.84 and its 200-day moving average is $132.39.

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

Hyatt Hotels Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 27th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 27th. Hyatt Hotels's payout ratio is 14.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.70, for a total value of $132,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 498 shares of the company's stock, valued at $66,084.60. This represents a 66.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider David Udell sold 4,051 shares of the company'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 value of $587,395.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 16,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,429,620. This trade represents a 19.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 23.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 127.9% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 10,995 shares of the company's stock worth $1,346,000 after acquiring an additional 6,170 shares during the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Hyatt Hotels by 87.0% during the 1st quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,119 shares of the company's stock worth $995,000 after acquiring an additional 3,778 shares during the last quarter. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. bought a new position in Hyatt Hotels in the 1st quarter valued at $1,155,000. TT International Asset Management LTD lifted its stake in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD now owns 37,017 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,535,000 after purchasing an additional 3,360 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 12.7% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 27,651 shares of the company's stock worth $3,386,000 after purchasing an additional 3,117 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.