Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $228.71.

Several research firms have issued reports on HLT. Melius Research restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Mizuho lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Melius cut Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:HLT opened at $248.41 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $218.15. The firm has a market cap of $60.56 billion, a PE ratio of 53.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide has a 12-month low of $164.93 and a 12-month high of $255.86.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.24%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.88%.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,460,933. This trade represents a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth $38,000. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors 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.