Robert W. Baird Raises Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Price Target to $236.00

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price objective increased by Robert W. Baird from $235.00 to $236.00 in a research report report published on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on HLT. Macquarie upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Melius downgraded Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $225.44.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:HLT opened at $236.11 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $58.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.02, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.31. Hilton Worldwide has a 12 month low of $148.25 and a 12 month high of $240.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $225.48 and its 200 day moving average is $214.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 69.65% and a net margin of 11.20%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 0.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.71%.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,460,933. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HLT. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 16.2% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 33,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,745,000 after purchasing an additional 4,692 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 28.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 7,041 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,623,000 after buying an additional 1,561 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,126,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 9.0% during the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 3,734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $861,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 53.8% in the third quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,635 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,760,000 after acquiring an additional 2,671 shares in the last quarter. 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.