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

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $228.71.

HLT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Melius downgraded shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Macquarie raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.6 %

Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $248.41 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide has a 1-year low of $164.93 and a 1-year high of $255.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $232.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $218.15.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at $3,460,933. The trade was a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

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

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.