Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Price Target Raised to $268.00

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price objective raised by Barclays from $243.00 to $268.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Bank of America boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $232.65.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT stock opened at $252.76 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide has a 1 year low of $175.80 and a 1 year high of $259.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.62 billion, a PE ratio of 54.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $244.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $225.82.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. The company’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.67 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.24%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.88%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HLT. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,215,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,585,148,000 after acquiring an additional 226,223 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,479,354,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,537 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 36.9% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,754,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,037,464,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282,676 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,012,069,000 after buying an additional 121,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 33.2% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,234,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $745,624,000 after buying an additional 806,029 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Company Profile

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc, a hospitality company, engages in managing, franchising, owning, and leasing hotels and resorts. It operates through two segments, Management and Franchise, and Ownership. The company engages in the hotel management and licensing of its brands. It operates luxury hotels under the Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts, and Conrad Hotels & Resorts brand; lifestyle hotels under the Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Tempo by Hilton, and Motto by Hilton brand; full service hotels under the Signia by Hilton, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and DoubleTree by Hilton brand; service hotels under the Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, and Tru by Hilton brand; all-suite hotels under the Embassy Suites by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, and Home2 Suites by Hilton brand; and economy hotel under the Spark by Hilton brand, as well as Hilton Grand Vacations.