Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Stock Gets Price Target Trim from Barclays

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price objective lowered by Barclays from $384.00 to $375.00 in a research report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other research firms also recently commented on HLT. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $365.00 to $387.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $360.00 to $362.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen raised shares of Hilton Worldwide to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $363.57.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

NYSE HLT opened at $356.92 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $325.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $320.76. The stock has a market cap of $79.41 billion, a PE ratio of 40.42, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.10. Hilton Worldwide has a fifty-two week low of $253.54 and a fifty-two week high of $364.50.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 33.78% and a net margin of 13.40%. The company had revenue of $1.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.11 EPS. Hilton Worldwide’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is presently 8.11%.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Kevin J. Jacobs sold 151,050 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.19, for a total value of $53,802,499.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 293,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $104,633,662.02. This trade represents a 33.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 7,289 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.81, for a total value of $2,258,205.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 33,458 shares in the company, valued at $10,365,622.98. This represents a 17.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 158,778 shares of company stock worth $56,196,944 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Profund Advisors LLC raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 3,058 shares of the company’s stock worth $973,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Range Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Range Advisory LLC now owns 860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 1,776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $587,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 29.7% in the third quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 166 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.1% during the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 3,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,176,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Hilton Worldwide

Here are the key news stories impacting Hilton Worldwide this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded Hilton to “outperform” from “neutral” and lifted its price target to $421 from $329, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The upgrade reflects increased confidence in Hilton’s earnings and growth outlook. Mizuho upgrade article
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs maintained a Buy rating on HLT, while Susquehanna, Wells Fargo and Robert W. Baird issued favorable outlooks or increased their price targets. The cluster of supportive recommendations may reinforce the bullish sentiment surrounding the stock. Goldman Sachs coverage Susquehanna forecast Wells Fargo price target Baird outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary on consumer-cyclical companies, including Hilton, adds visibility but does not introduce a major new operating catalyst. Hilton’s latest reported quarter showed earnings above consensus and year-over-year revenue growth, supporting the favorable analyst tone. Consumer cyclical analyst commentary
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays lowered its expectations for Hilton’s stock price, creating a counterpoint to the broader analyst optimism and potentially limiting near-term gains. Barclays Hilton outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Chief financial officer Kevin Jacobs sold 151,050 HLT shares for approximately $53.8 million, reducing his holdings by 33.96%. Although insider sales can be planned for personal or diversification reasons, the transaction may weigh on sentiment because it occurred while the stock was near record highs. SEC insider sale filing

Hilton Worldwide Company Profile

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc is a global hospitality company that develops, owns, manages, franchises and licenses hotels, resorts and other lodging properties. Its portfolio includes brands such as Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites, Hampton by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Home2 Suites and Tru by Hilton.

The company provides accommodations and related services for business and leisure travelers, including guest rooms, meeting and event facilities, food and beverage operations, resort amenities and loyalty program benefits through Hilton Honors.