Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Price Target Raised to $290.00

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by equities research analysts at Raymond James from $250.00 to $290.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. Raymond James' target price points to a potential upside of 7.76% from the stock's current price.

HLT has been the topic of several other reports. Bank of America increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Macquarie raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. 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 report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $246.61.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT stock traded down $4.34 on Monday, reaching $269.11. 1,017,280 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,499,399. Hilton Worldwide has a one year low of $189.77 and a one year high of $275.22. The company has a market cap of $65.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $251.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $237.12.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 57.01%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.76 EPS for the current year.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other 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.