Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $235.67 and last traded at $235.64, with a volume of 247640 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $234.19.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Bank of America upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Susquehanna started coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Friday, June 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Macquarie upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $213.95.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 1.2 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $217.75 and a 200 day moving average of $212.00. The company has a market cap of $59.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.31.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 69.65% and a net margin of 11.20%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.63 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.05 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 23rd were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 23rd. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.25%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently 13.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,460,933. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% during the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 9,326,879 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,035,125,000 after purchasing an additional 190,429 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,044,198 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,715,908,000 after buying an additional 761,104 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 36.9% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,754,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,037,464,000 after acquiring an additional 1,282,676 shares in the last quarter. Putnam Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 3,826,023 shares of the company’s stock valued at $696,680,000 after acquiring an additional 216,219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 66.3% during the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,127,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $667,148,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246,662 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.