Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Receives $238.24 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the nineteen analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $238.24.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on HLT. Melius Research reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $243.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Hilton Worldwide stock traded up $2.83 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $256.76. 248,086 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,301,173. Hilton Worldwide has a fifty-two week low of $186.83 and a fifty-two week high of $259.01. The firm's fifty day moving average is $249.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $234.03. The company has a market capitalization of $62.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 33.2% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,234,809 shares of the company's stock worth $745,624,000 after purchasing an additional 806,029 shares in the last quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 63.6% in the third quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,544,399 shares of the company's stock valued at $355,984,000 after buying an additional 600,593 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 23,730.1% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 479,223 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,104,610,000 after buying an additional 477,212 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,215,391 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,585,148,000 after acquiring an additional 226,223 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.