Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Given New $277.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price objective upped by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $237.00 to $277.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 12.36% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $243.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $238.24.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $246.52 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $248.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $229.92. Hilton Worldwide has a twelve month low of $178.23 and a twelve month high of $259.01. The stock has a market cap of $60.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30.

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

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. This trade represents a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HLT. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 20.2% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,456 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,101,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth about $631,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,012,069,000 after acquiring an additional 121,900 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at approximately $765,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

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.