Hilton Worldwide’s (HLT) Neutral Rating Reiterated at Mizuho

Mizuho restated their neutral rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Mizuho currently has a $263.00 target price on the stock, up from their prior target price of $243.00.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Truist Financial raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $243.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $244.06.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of HLT stock opened at $269.55 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.29. The business’s 50 day moving average is $250.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.50. Hilton Worldwide has a 12-month low of $186.83 and a 12-month high of $274.18.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly 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 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. On average, research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 9.76%.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HLT. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 50,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,571,000 after purchasing an additional 2,550 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Hilton Worldwide by 43.3% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,706 shares of the company’s stock valued at $854,000 after acquiring an additional 1,120 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. increased its position in Hilton Worldwide by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Hilton Worldwide by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, Daymark Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at about $262,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.