JPMorgan Chase & Co. Raises Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Price Target to $226.00

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) had its price objective raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $219.00 to $226.00 in a research report report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Bank of America raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius cut shares of Hilton Worldwide from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $232.65.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of HLT traded down $3.14 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $252.76. The stock had a trading volume of 1,160,960 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,538,573. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $244.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $225.09. The firm has a market cap of $61.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide has a fifty-two week low of $175.80 and a fifty-two week high of $259.01.

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

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

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the transaction, 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 SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

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

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.