Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Given New $233.00 Price Target at Barclays

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) had its price target lowered by Barclays from $287.00 to $233.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Macquarie lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $277.00 to $228.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $251.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $243.75.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 0.2 %

HLT traded up $0.36 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $219.72. 1,591,546 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,720,864. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.19. Hilton Worldwide has a 52-week low of $194.93 and a 52-week high of $275.22. The company's fifty day moving average price is $230.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $242.78.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 forecast that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide's payout ratio is presently 9.76%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the company's 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HLT. Alta Advisers Ltd purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the first quarter worth $270,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 244.8% during the 1st quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 50,815 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,563,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. Colonial River Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 1st quarter worth about $388,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 0.7% in the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 554,073 shares of the company's stock worth $126,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,803 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company's stock.

About Hilton Worldwide

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.