Analysts Set Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Target Price at $252.71

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $254.53.

HLT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective 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 target price on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT stock opened at $232.10 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $251.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $244.61. Hilton Worldwide has a one year low of $193.86 and a one year high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.76%.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the business’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 value of $10,928,745.99. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at $765,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in Hilton Worldwide by 194.8% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,633 shares of the company’s stock valued at $651,000 after acquiring an additional 1,740 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 953,938 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,098,000 after acquiring an additional 185,765 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 225,661 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,774,000 after purchasing an additional 4,846 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,012,069,000 after purchasing an additional 121,900 shares during 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.