Barclays Increases Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Price Target to $268.00

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price target lifted by Barclays from $243.00 to $268.00 in a report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on HLT. Melius downgraded Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target 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. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $232.65.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $252.76 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide has a 1 year low of $175.80 and a 1 year high of $259.01. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $244.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $225.82. The company has a market cap of $61.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.24, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.67 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 28,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,628,000 after purchasing an additional 7,583 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 201.4% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 181,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,853,000 after buying an additional 121,322 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 10.9% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 321,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,185,000 after buying an additional 31,548 shares during the period. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 193,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,121,000 after acquiring an additional 9,993 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.