Analysts Set Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Price Target at $230.59

Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $232.65.

HLT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:HLT opened at $252.78 on Wednesday. Hilton Worldwide has a 52 week low of $175.80 and a 52 week high of $259.01. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $244.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $225.09. The company has a market cap of $61.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.48, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.67 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide will post 7 EPS for the current year.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. PGGM Investments lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 337.6% in the second quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 14,378 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,137,000 after buying an additional 11,092 shares during the period. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 35.8% in the third quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 28,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,628,000 after purchasing an additional 7,583 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 201.4% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 181,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,853,000 after purchasing an additional 121,322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 10.9% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 321,656 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,185,000 after buying an additional 31,548 shares during the last quarter. 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.