Analysts Set Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Target Price at $246.61

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $249.24.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HLT. Macquarie raised their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

NYSE:HLT opened at $265.19 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $254.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $241.54. Hilton Worldwide has a 52 week low of $193.86 and a 52 week high of $275.22. The firm has a market cap of $63.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 54.47%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program 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 programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter worth $25,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 4,118 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is 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.