Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Price Target Raised to $268.00 at Barclays

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) had its target price boosted by Barclays from $243.00 to $268.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on HLT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Melius cut Hilton Worldwide from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on 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, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $232.65.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 1.2 %

HLT stock traded down $3.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $252.76. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,183,442 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,538,598. The company's 50 day moving average is $244.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $225.44. Hilton Worldwide has a fifty-two week low of $175.80 and a fifty-two week high of $259.01. The stock has a market cap of $61.62 billion, a PE ratio of 54.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. The firm had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.67 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,382,423.09. The trade was a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HLT. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,450 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,844,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 11.7% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 13,270 shares of the company's stock worth $2,895,000 after purchasing an additional 1,393 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 130.2% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $345,000 after buying an additional 914 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 10.9% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 321,656 shares of the company's stock worth $70,185,000 after buying an additional 31,548 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,700 shares of the company's stock worth $371,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.