Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Price Target Raised to $260.00

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price target hoisted by Macquarie from $248.00 to $260.00 in a report issued on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on HLT. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Melius downgraded Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 price objective (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Twelve research 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $244.06.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

NYSE:HLT opened at $269.55 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide has a one year low of $186.83 and a one year high of $274.18. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $250.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $235.95. The company has a market cap of $65.71 billion, a PE ratio of 43.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 57.01% and a net margin of 13.74%. Equities research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.76 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently 9.76%.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.