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 research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 6.47% from the stock’s previous close.

HLT has been the topic of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Mizuho reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 price target (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $241.00.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT traded down $0.84 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $269.55. 1,639,586 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,490,156. The company has a market cap of $65.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide has a fifty-two week low of $186.83 and a fifty-two week high of $274.18. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $250.31 and its 200-day moving average is $235.50.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide will post 7 EPS for the current year.

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

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at $765,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,012,069,000 after buying an additional 121,900 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth $1,246,000. Finally, Chartwell Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 28,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,628,000 after buying an additional 7,583 shares during 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.