Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Stock Rated "Buy" in New Coverage at Freedom Broker

Key Points

• Freedom Broker initiated coverage of Hilton Worldwide with a “Buy” rating and a $359 price target, implying approximately 9.5% upside from the previous close.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: Hilton has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $354.39 from 26 analysts.
• Hilton shares fell 0.5% to $327.87 during Wednesday trading. The company recently exceeded quarterly EPS estimates, while revenue rose 6.5% year over year.

Investment analysts at Freedom Broker started coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm set a "buy" rating and a $359.00 price target on the stock. Freedom Broker's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 9.50% from the stock's previous close.

HLT has been the topic of several other research reports. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $359.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Barclays upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $367.00 to $368.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $332.00 to $336.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $379.00 to $382.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $354.39.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of HLT stock traded down $1.72 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $327.87. 965,122 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,878,152. The company has a market cap of $73.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.10. Hilton Worldwide has a fifty-two week low of $253.54 and a fifty-two week high of $358.00. The stock's 50 day moving average is $317.83 and its 200-day moving average is $323.94.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.32 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 35.24% and a net margin of 12.69%. The company's revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.20 earnings per share. 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 anticipate that Hilton Worldwide will post 9.06 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, Director Chris Carr sold 439 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.34, for a total transaction of $136,239.26. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,252 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,560,925.68. The trade was a 5.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 7,289 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were 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 directly owned 33,458 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,365,622.98. This trade represents a 17.89% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth about $10,140,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $1,909,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.4% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 200,598 shares of the company's stock worth $66,290,000 after purchasing an additional 4,700 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,775,000. Finally, Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at approximately $41,279,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc is a global hospitality company that develops, manages, franchises and licenses hotels, resorts and other lodging properties. The company serves business and leisure travelers through a broad portfolio of brands spanning luxury, full-service, focused-service, extended-stay and lifestyle accommodations.

Its brand portfolio includes Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, Motto by Hilton and additional specialty brands.

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