Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $238.24.

HLT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius lowered shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of 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.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. This trade represents a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,139,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,226,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 2,383 shares of the company’s stock worth $589,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Sterneck Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth $244,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 20.2% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,456 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,101,000 after acquiring an additional 750 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 1.0 %

Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $240.89 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $249.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $231.15. Hilton Worldwide has a 12 month low of $180.62 and a 12 month high of $259.01. The stock has a market cap of $58.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.88%.

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.