Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Mizuho

Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on HLT. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $157.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $196.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Macquarie raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $197.78.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 0.5 %

HLT opened at $213.31 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $200.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $176.86. Hilton Worldwide has a 12-month low of $133.76 and a 12-month high of $215.79.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.11. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 94.46% and a net margin of 11.15%. The firm had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.59 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.28%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 13.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 21,489 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.68, for a total value of $4,204,967.52. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,536,478 shares in the company, valued at $496,338,015.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC now owns 5,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,080,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 171 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 3,095 shares of the company’s stock worth $564,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 2,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $488,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,399 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.