Hyatt Hotels Q4 Profit Tops Estimates - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - Hyatt Hotels Corp. (H) Wednesday said fourth-quarter net income attributable to the company climbed to $182 million, or $1.20 per share from $32 million, or $0.20 per share in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Adjusted for special items, net income attributable to Hyatt was $47 million, or $0.31 per share, while it totaled $51 million, or $0.32 per share in the prior-year period. On average, 18 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings of $0.22 per share for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

Total revenues were $1.079 billion, compared to $1.091 billion last year. Analysts expected revenues of $1.14 billion.

Mark Hoplamazian, president and CEO, said, "In the fourth quarter, systemwide RevPAR grew 5.1% in constant dollars and benefited from strong average daily rate growth. Comparable owned and leased margins in the Americas increased 50 basis points while margins at hotels outside the Americas were negatively impacted by market-specific factors."

Hyatt anticipates continued strength in most U.S. markets while international markets will continue to be challenged due to market-specific factors.

The company expects to open around 50 hotels in 2015.

The stock, which closed at $59.53 on Tuesday, gained 2.6 percent in pre-market activity.