Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Price Target Raised to $386.00

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price target lifted by Wells Fargo & Company from $383.00 to $386.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on HLT. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $360.00 to $362.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $336.00 to $349.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $363.57.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:HLT opened at $356.92 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $325.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $320.76. Hilton Worldwide has a fifty-two week low of $253.54 and a fifty-two week high of $364.50. The company has a market cap of $79.41 billion, a PE ratio of 40.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.10.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.37 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 33.78% and a net margin of 13.40%. The business’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.11 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is presently 8.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 7,289 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.81, for a total value of $2,258,205.09. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 33,458 shares in the company, valued at $10,365,622.98. This represents a 17.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Chris Carr sold 439 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.34, for a total transaction of $136,239.26. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,560,925.68. The trade was a 5.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 158,778 shares of company stock worth $56,196,944. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter valued at approximately $6,271,258,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,733,669,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $663,882,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $437,227,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at $389,475,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Hilton Worldwide this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded Hilton to “outperform” from “neutral” and lifted its price target to $421 from $329, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The upgrade reflects increased confidence in Hilton’s earnings and growth outlook. Mizuho upgrade article
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs maintained a Buy rating on HLT, while Susquehanna, Wells Fargo and Robert W. Baird issued favorable outlooks or increased their price targets. The cluster of supportive recommendations may reinforce the bullish sentiment surrounding the stock. Goldman Sachs coverage Susquehanna forecast Wells Fargo price target Baird outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary on consumer-cyclical companies, including Hilton, adds visibility but does not introduce a major new operating catalyst. Hilton’s latest reported quarter showed earnings above consensus and year-over-year revenue growth, supporting the favorable analyst tone. Consumer cyclical analyst commentary
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays lowered its expectations for Hilton’s stock price, creating a counterpoint to the broader analyst optimism and potentially limiting near-term gains. Barclays Hilton outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Chief financial officer Kevin Jacobs sold 151,050 HLT shares for approximately $53.8 million, reducing his holdings by 33.96%. Although insider sales can be planned for personal or diversification reasons, the transaction may weigh on sentiment because it occurred while the stock was near record highs. SEC insider sale filing

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc is a global hospitality company that develops, owns, manages, franchises and licenses hotels, resorts and other lodging properties. Its portfolio includes brands such as Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites, Hampton by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Home2 Suites and Tru by Hilton.

The company provides accommodations and related services for business and leisure travelers, including guest rooms, meeting and event facilities, food and beverage operations, resort amenities and loyalty program benefits through Hilton Honors.