Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.15

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of 0.15 per share on Thursday, March 12th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd.

Hyatt Hotels has decreased its dividend by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 1 years. Hyatt Hotels has a payout ratio of 18.1% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Hyatt Hotels to earn $4.25 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 14.1%.

Hyatt Hotels Trading Up 0.2%

H stock traded up $0.35 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $168.98. The stock had a trading volume of 1,964,367 shares, compared to its average volume of 858,764. The firm has a market cap of $16.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -181.70, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.27. Hyatt Hotels has a twelve month low of $102.43 and a twelve month high of $180.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $162.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $151.80.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $1.04. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. Hyatt Hotels had a negative net margin of 1.27% and a positive return on equity of 3.22%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.42 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Hyatt Hotels will post 3.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Javier Aguila sold 9,548 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.87, for a total value of $1,583,726.76. Following the transaction, the insider owned 2,684 shares in the company, valued at $445,195.08. The trade was a 78.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider David Udell sold 4,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.00, for a total value of $713,800.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 13,746 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,281,836. The trade was a 23.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 23.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hyatt Hotels

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec raised its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 3,385 shares of the company’s stock worth $543,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the period. HRT Financial LP increased its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. HRT Financial LP now owns 84,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,493,000 after purchasing an additional 16,264 shares in the last quarter. DRW Securities LLC raised its holdings in Hyatt Hotels by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. DRW Securities LLC now owns 2,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $394,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Hyatt Hotels in the fourth quarter valued at $449,000. Finally, Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new position in shares of Hyatt Hotels during the fourth quarter valued at about $236,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.54% 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.