Hilton Grand Vacations (NYSE:HGV) Upgraded to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Hilton Grand Vacations to “Buy” from “Hold,” though analyst sentiment overall remains “Hold,” with a consensus price target of $49.10.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $4.03, beating the $1.08 consensus, and revenue of $1.96 billion versus estimates of $1.39 billion; revenue rose 50.8% year over year.
• Hilton Grand Vacations authorized a $600 million share repurchase plan, allowing it to buy back up to 17% of its shares.

Hilton Grand Vacations (NYSE:HGV - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on HGV. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Hilton Grand Vacations from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of Hilton Grand Vacations from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Citizens Jmp cut Hilton Grand Vacations from a "market outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Hilton Grand Vacations from $71.00 to $69.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Hilton Grand Vacations from $50.00 to $39.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Grand Vacations currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $49.10.

Hilton Grand Vacations Stock Performance

Hilton Grand Vacations stock opened at $44.09 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a PE ratio of 6.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.60. Hilton Grand Vacations has a fifty-two week low of $33.99 and a fifty-two week high of $55.40. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $37.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.29, a quick ratio of 3.35 and a current ratio of 5.15.

Hilton Grand Vacations (NYSE:HGV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $4.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $2.95. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.39 billion. Hilton Grand Vacations had a return on equity of 39.73% and a net margin of 7.02%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 50.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hilton Grand Vacations will post 6.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Grand Vacations announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, August 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase $600 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 17% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Charles R. Jr. Corbin sold 60,401 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.41, for a total transaction of $2,622,007.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 47,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,080,380.84. This represents a 55.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Mark D. Wang bought 12,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $40.92 per share, for a total transaction of $499,224.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 916,715 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,511,977.80. This represents a 1.35% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 3.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Hilton Grand Vacations

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HGV. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Grand Vacations in the second quarter worth about $63,000. Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Grand Vacations during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Allworth Financial LP bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Grand Vacations in the second quarter worth $43,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in shares of Hilton Grand Vacations during the second quarter worth approximately $85,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in Hilton Grand Vacations by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,800 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. 97.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hilton Grand Vacations Company Profile

Hilton Grand Vacations Inc NYSE: HGV is a global vacation ownership company that markets and sells vacation intervals, points-based memberships and related travel experiences. Its portfolio includes branded vacation ownership resorts and accommodations in popular leisure destinations, with products designed to provide members with recurring access to vacation properties.

The company also provides resort management, reservation and customer services, financing for vacation ownership purchases, and exchange and travel-planning services.

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