Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on HLT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report 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 target price for the company. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $230.10 and a 200 day moving average of $216.79. The company has a market capitalization of $60.36 billion, a PE ratio of 53.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.07. The firm 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 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 12.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 247.8% during the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. 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.