Morgan Stanley Cuts Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Price Target to $241.00

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $251.00 to $241.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective suggests a potential upside of 9.69% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on HLT. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $277.00 to $228.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Susquehanna increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $258.00 to $251.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $243.75.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.2 %

HLT stock traded up $0.36 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $219.72. The stock had a trading volume of 1,591,546 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,720,864. Hilton Worldwide has a 1-year low of $194.93 and a 1-year high of $275.22. The company has a fifty day moving average of $230.86 and a 200 day moving average of $242.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.73, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.19.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,479,354,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,537 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,898,986 shares of the company's stock worth $1,952,314,000 after buying an additional 919,424 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its position in Hilton Worldwide by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 7,225,495 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,786,151,000 after acquiring an additional 142,620 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,910,042 shares of the company's stock worth $1,456,893,000 after acquiring an additional 67,292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,411,500 shares of the company's stock worth $1,090,346,000 after purchasing an additional 320,550 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company's stock.

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.