Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Hits New 12-Month High After Analyst Upgrade

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Robert W. Baird raised their price target on the stock from $246.00 to $276.00. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Hilton Worldwide traded as high as $279.46 and last traded at $274.36, with a volume of 1756284 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $278.65.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on HLT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $282.00 price objective for the company. Dbs Bank upgraded Hilton Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $233.00 to $232.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $251.00 to $241.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Macquarie reduced their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $250.94.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 78.7% in the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 76.0% in the 1st quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 244.8% in the 1st quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Graney & King LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at $52,000. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $64.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $257.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $245.76.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $2.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.73 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 49.50% and a net margin of 13.90%. Hilton Worldwide’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.53 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 26th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.46%.

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.