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

Hyatt Hotels Co. (NYSE:H - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, October 31st, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be given a dividend of 0.15 per share on Friday, December 6th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 22nd.

Hyatt Hotels has increased its dividend by an average of 31.0% annually over the last three years. Hyatt Hotels has a payout ratio of 15.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Hyatt Hotels to earn $3.80 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 15.8%.

Hyatt Hotels Price Performance

H traded down $0.37 during trading on Friday, reaching $145.08. 645,273 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 587,228. The business's 50 day moving average price is $150.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $148.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $14.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.65 and a beta of 1.50. Hyatt Hotels has a 1 year low of $96.77 and a 1 year high of $162.24.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.04. Hyatt Hotels had a return on equity of 10.25% and a net margin of 14.55%. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.70 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Hyatt Hotels will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Hyatt Hotels

In related news, insider Mark Samuel Hoplamazian sold 44,219 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.14, for a total transaction of $6,550,602.66. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 623,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $92,373,585.84. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 23.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $161.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com downgraded Hyatt Hotels from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Hyatt Hotels from $171.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Hyatt Hotels from $204.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Macquarie reduced their target price on Hyatt Hotels from $165.00 to $164.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hyatt Hotels currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $151.62.

About Hyatt Hotels

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.