Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Susquehanna Analyst Says

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price objective lifted by analysts at Susquehanna from $247.00 to $250.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Susquehanna’s price target suggests a potential downside of 3.39% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on HLT. Barclays increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 price target (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Macquarie boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $248.56.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of HLT stock opened at $258.77 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $253.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.50. The company has a market cap of $62.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.08, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide has a 52 week low of $193.86 and a 52 week high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 54.47%. Analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the 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 transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.