Playa Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:PLYA) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Playa Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:PLYA) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,590,000 shares, an increase of 26.8% from the November 30th total of 4,410,000 shares. Currently, 6.6% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,130,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.9 days.

Playa Hotels & Resorts Stock Performance

Playa Hotels & Resorts stock traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $12.65. 1,124,693 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 802,062. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 2.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.66. Playa Hotels & Resorts has a fifty-two week low of $6.95 and a fifty-two week high of $12.72. The stock has a market cap of $1.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.64.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on PLYA shares. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Playa Hotels & Resorts from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $13.00 price target on shares of Playa Hotels & Resorts in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $12.00.

Institutional Trading of Playa Hotels & Resorts

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in shares of Playa Hotels & Resorts by 15.0% during the second quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 25,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 3,371 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Playa Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter worth $495,000. AdvisorShares Investments LLC acquired a new position in Playa Hotels & Resorts in the 2nd quarter valued at $105,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Playa Hotels & Resorts by 12.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,425,296 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,348,000 after acquiring an additional 264,275 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Playa Hotels & Resorts by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,673,429 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,379,000 after purchasing an additional 63,595 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.58% of the company’s stock.

About Playa Hotels & Resorts

Playa Hotels & Resorts N.V., together with its subsidiaries, owns, develops, and operates resorts in prime beachfront locations in Mexico and the Caribbean. It owns and manages Hyatt Zilara Cancún, Hyatt Ziva Cancún, Wyndham Alltra Cancún, Wyndham Alltra Playa del Carmen, Hilton Playa del Carmen All-Inclusive Resort, Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta, and Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos located in Mexico; Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall, Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall, Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa, Jewel Grande Montego Bay Resort & Spa, and Jewel Paradise Cove Beach Resort & Spa situated in Jamaica; the Hilton La Romana All-Inclusive Family Resort, the Hilton La Romana All-Inclusive Adult Resort, Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana, Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana, and Jewel Palm Beach located in the Dominican Republic; and manages resorts on behalf of third-party owners.