Robert W. Baird Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Stock

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price objective boosted by equities researchers at Robert W. Baird from $359.00 to $360.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird’s target price indicates a potential upside of 11.37% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Mizuho upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $321.00 to $326.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $345.00 to $353.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $360.00 to $371.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $319.00 to $332.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $376.00 to $379.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $352.86.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 2.3%

Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $323.26 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $334.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $318.72. Hilton Worldwide has a twelve month low of $253.54 and a twelve month high of $358.00. The company has a market capitalization of $73.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.05.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.02. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 38.21% and a net margin of 12.56%.The business had revenue of $1.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.20 earnings per share. Hilton Worldwide’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Hilton Worldwide has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.280-2.340 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.890-9.010 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide will post 9.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HLT. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,448,978 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,852,650,000 after buying an additional 31,364 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 6,294,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,808,143,000 after purchasing an additional 284,352 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 0.7% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,946,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,808,235,000 after purchasing an additional 40,343 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,092,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,462,778,000 after purchasing an additional 475,896 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,823,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $811,089,000 after purchasing an additional 55,228 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Hilton Worldwide this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hilton reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $2.29, slightly above the $2.27 consensus estimate, while adjusted EBITDA reached $1.054 billion. System-wide comparable RevPAR rose 3.9% on a currency-neutral basis, supported by higher franchise fees and room rates. Hilton Reports Second Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $8.89-$9.01 from $8.79-$8.91 and expects full-year RevPAR growth of 3% to 3.5%. Hilton also outlined plans to return approximately $3.5 billion to shareholders, including repurchases and dividends. Hilton expects RevPAR growth and shareholder returns
• Positive Sentiment: Hilton declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record August 21. The dividend provides a modest ongoing return, with an annualized yield of roughly 0.2%.
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS guidance of $2.28-$2.34 was below Wall Street’s $2.42 estimate. The shortfall raised concerns that near-term earnings momentum may be weaker than previously expected, leading to pressure on HLT shares. Hilton sees World Cup boost but shares fall on soft guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Although Hilton increased its full-year outlook, the new EPS range remains below the $9.03 analyst consensus, limiting the positive impact of the guidance increase. Investors also appeared to discount the quarterly earnings beat because expectations for the stock were high.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc is a global hospitality company that develops, owns, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and resorts. Its business spans full-service luxury and lifestyle properties, select- and focused-service hotels, and extended-stay accommodations. The company generates revenue through management and franchise fees, owned and leased real estate, and guest services, and supports customer retention and direct bookings through its Hilton Honors guest loyalty program.

Hilton’s brand portfolio includes internationally recognized names across the lodging spectrum, from luxury and upper-upscale brands to midscale and extended-stay offerings.