Barclays Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Stock

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by Barclays from $270.00 to $287.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Barclays's target price would indicate a potential upside of 6.67% from the company's previous close.

HLT has been the subject of a number of other reports. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius Research reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Melius downgraded shares of Hilton Worldwide from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $246.61.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:HLT traded up $1.58 during trading on Friday, reaching $269.06. 2,045,003 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,507,100. Hilton Worldwide has a 12 month low of $186.83 and a 12 month high of $274.18. The firm has a market cap of $65.59 billion, a PE ratio of 43.75, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $250.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $236.48.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) 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, sell-side analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the business'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 sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HLT. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,479,354,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,537 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 33.2% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,234,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $745,624,000 after acquiring an additional 806,029 shares during the last quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 63.6% during the third quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,544,399 shares of the company's stock valued at $355,984,000 after acquiring an additional 600,593 shares during the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 2,746.1% during the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 502,077 shares of the company's stock valued at $133,487,000 after acquiring an additional 484,436 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter valued at $118,729,000. Institutional investors 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.