Hilton Worldwide’s (HLT) Hold Rating Reiterated at Melius Research

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reissued by equities researchers at Melius Research in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on HLT. Macquarie increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price target for the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $224.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Melius lowered shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $217.63.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT stock traded down $0.98 during trading on Monday, reaching $237.83. 231,416 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,553,831. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.47 billion, a PE ratio of 51.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.31. Hilton Worldwide has a 52-week low of $146.36 and a 52-week high of $240.00. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $222.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $213.42.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.05. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 11.20% and a negative return on equity of 69.65%. The company had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.63 earnings per share. Hilton Worldwide’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total transaction of $1,067,423.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,460,933. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HLT. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% in the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 9,326,879 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,035,125,000 after buying an additional 190,429 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,044,198 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,715,908,000 after purchasing an additional 761,104 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 36.9% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,754,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,037,464,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282,676 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 66.3% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,127,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $667,148,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246,662 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 7.7% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,817,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $614,841,000 after buying an additional 200,329 shares during the last quarter. 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.