Barclays Raises Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Price Target to $287.00

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price target lifted by analysts at Barclays from $270.00 to $287.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 6.47% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on HLT. Truist Financial boosted 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. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius Research restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $241.00.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock traded down $0.84 on Friday, reaching $269.55. The stock had a trading volume of 1,639,586 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,490,156. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $250.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $235.50. Hilton Worldwide has a 1 year low of $186.83 and a 1 year high of $274.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. On average, analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. This represents a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth $237,000. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 44.2% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 3,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $910,000 after purchasing an additional 1,128 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at about $209,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 32,865 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,123,000 after purchasing an additional 2,395 shares during the period. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 225,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,774,000 after purchasing an additional 4,846 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.