Raymond James Increases Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Price Target to $290.00

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price target boosted by Raymond James from $250.00 to $290.00 in a research report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Raymond James currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

HLT has been the subject of a number of other reports. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $263.00 price target (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $246.61.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

NYSE HLT opened at $267.43 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.48, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide has a 12 month low of $186.83 and a 12 month high of $274.18. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $250.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $236.10.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 57.01% and a net margin of 13.74%. On average, analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently 9.76%.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total value of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. This trade represents a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 4,118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

About Hilton Worldwide

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.