Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Hits New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $274.53 and last traded at $273.48, with a volume of 801535 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $269.12.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $263.00 target price (up previously from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Macquarie increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $246.61.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 1.5 %

The company has a market capitalization of $66.56 billion, a PE ratio of 44.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $251.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $236.86.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 57.01% and a net margin of 13.74%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.76 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the 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 owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 4,118 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.