Hilton Worldwide (HLT) Expected to Announce Earnings on Thursday

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) is projected to release its earnings data before the market opens on Thursday, February 6th. Analysts expect Hilton Worldwide to post earnings of $1.67 per share and revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter. Persons interested in participating in the company's earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 1.5 %

NYSE:HLT traded up $3.94 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $257.87. 343,648 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,305,086. The company has a fifty day moving average of $249.44 and a 200 day moving average of $234.03. The stock has a market cap of $62.86 billion, a PE ratio of 55.33, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide has a 12 month low of $186.83 and a 12 month high of $259.01.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was 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 $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on HLT shares. 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 research note on Thursday, January 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted 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. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $243.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $238.24.

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.