Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Reaches New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday. The company traded as high as $368.49 and last traded at $362.8550, with a volume of 140,470 shares. The stock had previously closed at $356.92.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $384.00 to $375.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Freedom Broker assumed coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $359.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $365.00 to $387.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, China Intl Cap upgraded shares of Hilton Worldwide to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $365.08.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 0.2%

The company’s fifty day moving average is $326.45 and its 200-day moving average is $321.40. The company has a market cap of $80.97 billion, a PE ratio of 49.18, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.08.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.37 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.40% and a negative return on equity of 33.78%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.11 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 9.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is presently 8.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 7,289 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.81, for a total transaction of $2,258,205.09. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 33,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,365,622.98. This represents a 17.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Kevin Jacobs sold 151,050 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.19, for a total value of $53,802,499.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 293,758 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,633,662.02. This represents a 33.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 158,778 shares of company stock valued at $56,196,944 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. M Holdings Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at $236,000. Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 2,526 shares of the company’s stock worth $804,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,679,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 83.4% during the 3rd quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 1,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $505,000 after purchasing an additional 721 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,938,000 after purchasing an additional 1,682 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Company Profile

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc is a global hospitality company that develops, owns, manages, franchises and licenses hotels, resorts and other lodging properties. Its portfolio includes brands such as Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites, Hampton by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Home2 Suites and Tru by Hilton.

The company provides accommodations and related services for business and leisure travelers, including guest rooms, meeting and event facilities, food and beverage operations, resort amenities and loyalty program benefits through Hilton Honors.