Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) Shares Gap Down After Earnings Miss

Hyatt Hotels Co. (NYSE:H) shares gapped down prior to trading on Thursday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $162.11, but opened at $150.92. Hyatt Hotels shares last traded at $147.41, with a volume of 563,852 shares traded.

The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by ($0.22). Hyatt Hotels had a return on equity of 10.74% and a net margin of 20.55%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Hyatt Hotels from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Barclays increased their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $144.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. HSBC lowered shares of Hyatt Hotels from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $156.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Macquarie reduced their price objective on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $165.00 to $164.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $157.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $156.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hyatt Hotels news, insider Mark R. Vondrasek sold 3,776 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.99, for a total value of $604,122.24. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $927,622.02. This represents a 39.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 23.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hyatt Hotels

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt acquired a new position in Hyatt Hotels in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 583.3% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 205 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 99.0% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 190.2% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Hyatt Hotels during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. 73.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hyatt Hotels Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.09 billion, a PE ratio of 11.10 and a beta of 1.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $157.53 and a 200-day moving average of $152.49.

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.