Principal Financial Group Inc. Increases Stock Position in Hyatt Hotels Corporation $H

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,715,085 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 843,121 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 4.94% of Hyatt Hotels worth $669,221,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Keybank National Association OH boosted its stake in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 2,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $380,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in Hyatt Hotels by 11.7% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 2,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in Hyatt Hotels by 2.3% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,778,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its stake in Hyatt Hotels by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 79,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,215,000 after purchasing an additional 3,678 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its position in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 31,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,606,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.54% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider David Udell sold 4,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,281,836. This trade represents a 23.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Javier Aguila sold 9,548 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $445,195.08. The trade was a 78.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 33,383 shares of company stock worth $5,321,682 in the last three months. 23.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hyatt Hotels Price Performance

Shares of NYSE H opened at $156.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.69. Hyatt Hotels Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $102.43 and a fifty-two week high of $174.58. The stock has a market cap of $14.83 billion, a PE ratio of -167.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $163.08 and a 200-day moving average of $151.02.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.30) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.49 by ($0.79). Hyatt Hotels had a positive return on equity of 3.22% and a negative net margin of 1.27%.The company had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hyatt Hotels Corporation will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Hyatt Hotels Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Investors of record on Monday, November 24th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. Hyatt Hotels’s dividend payout ratio is -64.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on H. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $200.00 to $198.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $154.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Hyatt Hotels in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $198.00 price target for the company. Mizuho upped their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $203.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and issued a $175.00 target price (up from $170.00) on shares of Hyatt Hotels in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $172.06.

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.