Barclays Raises Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Price Target to $268.00

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price target upped by research analysts at Barclays from $243.00 to $268.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s price target points to a potential upside of 6.03% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Melius lowered Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $232.65.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 1.2 %

HLT opened at $252.76 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide has a 12-month low of $175.80 and a 12-month high of $259.01. The company has a market cap of $61.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.24, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s 50 day moving average is $244.95 and its 200 day moving average is $225.61.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Insider Activity

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. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at $631,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,012,069,000 after buying an additional 121,900 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth about $765,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.2% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 49,465 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,515,000 after acquiring an additional 605 shares during the period. Finally, Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at approximately $669,000. Institutional investors 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.