Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Earns “Neutral” Rating from Macquarie

Macquarie reaffirmed their neutral rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) in a research report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. Macquarie currently has a $192.00 price target on the stock.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Barclays raised their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $204.00 to $216.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $245.00 to $242.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. HSBC raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $157.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $205.06.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.9 %

Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $202.12 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $205.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $184.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.94, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.25. Hilton Worldwide has a twelve month low of $134.43 and a twelve month high of $215.79.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $2.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.51 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 81.29% and a net margin of 11.41%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.24 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 13.04%.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 21,489 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.68, for a total transaction of $4,204,967.52. Following the sale, the insider now owns 2,536,478 shares in the company, valued at $496,338,015.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 66.7% during the first quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC now owns 5,932 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,080,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 171 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 3,095 shares of the company’s stock valued at $564,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 2,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $488,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.