Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $235.67 and last traded at $235.64, with a volume of 247640 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $234.19.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Susquehanna initiated coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Friday, June 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $228.00 to $224.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $213.95.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 1.2 %

The company has a 50 day moving average of $217.75 and a 200-day moving average of $212.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.31.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 69.65% and a net margin of 11.20%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.63 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, August 23rd were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 23rd. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.25%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.04%.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total transaction of $1,067,423.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,460,933. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $269,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 66.7% during the 1st quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $771,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,434 shares of the company’s stock worth $313,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 171 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in 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.