Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.09 EPS

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) released its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09, Zacks reports. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 57.01% and a net margin of 13.74%. Hilton Worldwide updated its FY 2025 guidance to 7.710-7.820 EPS and its Q1 2025 guidance to 1.570-1.630 EPS.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE HLT opened at $269.55 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.71 billion, a PE ratio of 43.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $250.31 and its 200-day moving average is $235.50. Hilton Worldwide has a 1 year low of $186.83 and a 1 year high of $274.18.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is presently 9.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI boosted 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 Research restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Bank of America boosted 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. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $244.06.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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

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.