Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Earns “Neutral” Rating from Mizuho

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLTGet Free Report)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reissued by equities research analysts at Mizuho in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. They presently have a $263.00 target price on the stock, up from their previous target price of $243.00. Mizuho’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 1.61% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on HLT. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Melius lowered shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $239.88.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLT opened at $258.85 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $63.10 billion, a PE ratio of 55.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.29. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $249.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $235.11. Hilton Worldwide has a 1 year low of $186.83 and a 1 year high of $259.21.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

About Hilton Worldwide

(Get Free Report)

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.

See Also

Analyst Recommendations for Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT)

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