Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Sets New 12-Month High at $169.35

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $169.35 and last traded at $169.32, with a volume of 571609 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $168.29.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HLT shares. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $148.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 12th. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $152.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 14th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $169.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 26th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $162.71.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $43.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.20. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $153.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $149.00.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 25th. The company reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.67. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.13% and a negative return on equity of 115.21%. The company had revenue of $2.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.62 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.31 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 6.08 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 17th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 16th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.07%.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 9th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher W. Silcock sold 10,863 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.61, for a total transaction of $1,809,884.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 58,256 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,706,032.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Kristin Ann Campbell sold 8,286 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.03, for a total transaction of $1,276,292.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 230,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,441,840.91. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Christopher W. Silcock sold 10,863 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.61, for a total transaction of $1,809,884.43. Following the sale, the insider now owns 58,256 shares in the company, valued at $9,706,032.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HLT. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 1,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 1,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 22.9% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 3,422 shares of the company’s stock worth $519,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 6,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $932,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 1st quarter worth approximately $91,000. 94.71% of the stock is currently owned by 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 premium economy hotel under the Spark by Hilton brand, as well as Hilton Grand Vacations.