Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Jefferies Financial Group Analyst Says

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price target raised by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $237.00 to $277.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 12.10% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Mizuho upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $238.24.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:HLT traded down $0.06 on Thursday, reaching $247.10. 277,504 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,255,833. The company has a market capitalization of $60.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.03, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide has a twelve month low of $178.23 and a twelve month high of $259.01. The company has a fifty day moving average of $248.30 and a 200-day moving average of $229.82.

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

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 4,118 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.