Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Stock Price

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) had its price target hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $265.00 to $274.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on HLT. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Raymond James boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Macquarie increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $250.61.

Remove Ads

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

NYSE HLT traded down $3.77 on Tuesday, hitting $247.35. 2,219,291 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,522,541. The business's fifty day moving average is $255.04 and its 200 day moving average is $243.14. Hilton Worldwide has a 52 week low of $193.86 and a 52 week high of $275.22. The company has a market capitalization of $59.51 billion, a PE ratio of 40.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. Analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given 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, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is 9.76%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,746,152.78. This trade represents a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of Hilton Worldwide 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 transaction, the insider now owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth $694,787,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company's stock worth $2,479,354,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,537 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,898,986 shares of the company's stock worth $1,952,314,000 after acquiring an additional 919,424 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 33.2% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,234,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $745,624,000 after purchasing an additional 806,029 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,265,087 shares of the company's stock valued at $806,999,000 after purchasing an additional 685,023 shares in the last quarter. 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.