Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Given New $290.00 Price Target at Raymond James

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price target boosted by Raymond James from $250.00 to $290.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the stock.

HLT has been the subject of several other reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Melius downgraded shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $246.61.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $267.43 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $250.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $236.10. The company has a market cap of $65.19 billion, a PE ratio of 43.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide has a 1-year low of $186.83 and a 1-year high of $274.18.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 57.01%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.22%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 9.76%.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were 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 owns 77,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,134 shares of the company’s stock worth $528,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% during the third quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $468,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,232 shares of the company’s stock worth $799,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,946,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Graypoint LLC raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 1,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $431,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. 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.