Melius Research Reaffirms Hold Rating for Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT)

Melius Research reaffirmed their hold rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning, MarketBeat.com reports.

HLT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $224.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Macquarie lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $235.00 price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Melius cut shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $221.42.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of HLT stock opened at $233.53 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $58.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.77, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.31. The business’s fifty day moving average is $224.51 and its 200 day moving average is $213.94. Hilton Worldwide has a twelve month low of $147.58 and a twelve month high of $240.00.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued 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. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 11.20% and a negative return on equity of 69.65%. The company had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.63 EPS. Hilton Worldwide’s quarterly revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 23rd. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.04%.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total transaction of $1,067,423.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,460,933. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $269,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 66.7% during the 1st quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $771,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AA Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 4.0% during the second quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $313,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Company Profile

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.