Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) PT Raised to $215.00

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its target price hoisted by Robert W. Baird from $212.00 to $215.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the stock.

HLT has been the topic of a number of other research reports. HSBC raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Macquarie reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $192.00 target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $157.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $207.59.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE HLT opened at $202.12 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $205.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $185.26. Hilton Worldwide has a 12-month low of $134.43 and a 12-month high of $215.79. The company has a market cap of $50.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.94, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.25.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.12. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 11.41% and a negative return on equity of 81.29%. The firm had revenue of $2.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.51 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.30%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 13.04%.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 21,489 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.68, for a total transaction of $4,204,967.52. Following the sale, the insider now owns 2,536,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $496,338,015.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HLT. Independence Bank of Kentucky increased its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 66.7% during the 1st quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the first quarter worth about $34,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by 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.