Susquehanna Raises Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Price Target to $250.00

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its target price raised by Susquehanna from $247.00 to $250.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on HLT. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Macquarie increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 target price (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $248.56.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 0.4 %

HLT stock opened at $257.92 on Tuesday. Hilton Worldwide has a 52-week low of $193.86 and a 52-week high of $275.22. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $253.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.23%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.76%.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total value of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 77,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ascent Group LLC boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 5,598 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,384,000 after acquiring an additional 366 shares during the period. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,704,000. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 134,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,361,000 after buying an additional 2,146 shares during the period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth approximately $415,000. Finally, Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,377,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.