Jefferies Financial Group Increases Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Price Target to $277.00

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price target upped by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $237.00 to $277.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 12.10% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on HLT. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised 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. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Melius cut shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $238.24.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE HLT traded down $0.06 on Thursday, hitting $247.10. The company had a trading volume of 277,504 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,255,833. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.03, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50 day moving average of $248.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $229.82. Hilton Worldwide has a 12-month low of $178.23 and a 12-month high of $259.01.

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

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,382,423.09. The trade was a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% during the third quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the company’s stock worth $468,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,443 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,946,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Graypoint LLC increased its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 2.6% during the third quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 1,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $431,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

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.