Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Rating Lowered to Hold at Melius

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) was downgraded by research analysts at Melius from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

HLT has been the topic of several other research reports. Macquarie upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $224.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $235.00 target price on Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $221.42.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT opened at $238.02 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $224.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $213.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.74, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.31. Hilton Worldwide has a one year low of $146.36 and a one year high of $240.00.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at $3,460,933. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 66.7% during the first quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 247.8% during the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors 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.