Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Price Target Raised to $277.00

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price target increased by The Goldman Sachs Group from $247.00 to $277.00 in a research report released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho upped their price target 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. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Truist Financial increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Melius Research restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $230.59.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.4 %

HLT stock opened at $255.91 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $62.39 billion, a PE ratio of 55.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $244.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $224.88. Hilton Worldwide has a 12-month low of $175.80 and a 12-month high of $259.01.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.88%.

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

Insider Activity

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HLT. PGGM Investments increased 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 in the last quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 35.8% in the 3rd 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 during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 201.4% in 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. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Raymond James & Associates increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 10.9% in the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 321,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,185,000 after acquiring an additional 31,548 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.