Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $248.52 and last traded at $248.50, with a volume of 70085 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $235.65.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays lowered their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.6 %

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $230.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $216.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted 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 negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. The business had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.88%.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,423.09. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total transaction of $1,067,423.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,460,933. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the first quarter valued at $2,792,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.5% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 137,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,375,000 after acquiring an additional 4,677 shares during the period. PGGM Investments raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 337.6% during the second quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 14,378 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,137,000 after purchasing an additional 11,092 shares during the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 234.4% during the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 7,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,703,000 after purchasing an additional 5,598 shares during the period. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the first quarter worth approximately $512,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.