Zacks Research Cuts Earnings Estimates for Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) - Zacks Research cut their Q2 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report issued on Tuesday, December 31st. Zacks Research analyst H. Ray now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $2.15 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $2.18. The consensus estimate for Hilton Worldwide's current full-year earnings is $7.00 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hilton Worldwide's FY2025 earnings at $7.72 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.33 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $8.59 EPS.

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

Several other research firms have also commented on HLT. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Melius cut shares of Hilton Worldwide from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $238.24.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Hilton Worldwide stock traded up $1.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $246.52. 827,688 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 974,244. Hilton Worldwide has a 12-month low of $178.23 and a 12-month high of $259.01. The business's 50-day moving average is $248.49 and its 200-day moving average is $229.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.10 billion, a PE ratio of 52.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.88%.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $56,000. Hedge funds and other 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.