Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Given New $268.00 Price Target at Barclays

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price target boosted by Barclays from $243.00 to $268.00 in a research note published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

HLT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Bank of America upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Melius cut shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Melius Research reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $232.65.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 1.2 %

Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $252.78 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $61.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $244.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $225.44. Hilton Worldwide has a 52-week low of $175.80 and a 52-week high of $259.01.

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

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 12.88%.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 28,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,628,000 after buying an additional 7,583 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 201.4% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 181,576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,853,000 after acquiring an additional 121,322 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 10.9% in the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 321,656 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,185,000 after purchasing an additional 31,548 shares during the period. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 5.5% in the second quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 193,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,121,000 after purchasing an additional 9,993 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently 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.