Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Stock Price

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) had its price target reduced by Barclays from $296.00 to $291.00 in a research report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on HLT. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $246.00 to $276.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, June 23rd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $282.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $245.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Macquarie raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $240.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $235.00 price objective (down previously from $296.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, April 14th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $258.56.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

NYSE HLT traded up $5.93 during trading on Thursday, reaching $273.50. 1,735,577 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,179,280. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $259.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $246.84. The company has a market cap of $64.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.25. Hilton Worldwide has a 1-year low of $196.04 and a 1-year high of $279.46.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.16. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 46.13% and a net margin of 13.84%. The business had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.91 EPS. Hilton Worldwide's revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HLT. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 78.7% during the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 168 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 76.0% during the first quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 176 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 84.1% during the second quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 151 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 244.8% during the first quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Graney & King LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.