Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group to "Buy" Rating

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a $296.00 price objective on the stock, up from their previous price objective of $228.00. Jefferies Financial Group's target price suggests a potential upside of 21.72% from the company's current price.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on HLT. Raymond James raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $235.00 price target (down previously from $296.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $242.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $251.00 to $223.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $245.56.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

HLT opened at $243.18 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $225.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $242.70. The company has a market cap of $57.80 billion, a PE ratio of 39.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.23. Hilton Worldwide has a 1 year low of $194.93 and a 1 year high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $2.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.73 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 54.47%. The company's revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.53 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,115,086 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,714,938,000 after acquiring an additional 104,802 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of 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 raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 7,225,495 shares of the company's stock worth $1,786,151,000 after buying an additional 142,620 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,910,042 shares of the company's stock worth $1,456,893,000 after buying an additional 67,292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,836,430 shares of the company's stock worth $1,100,530,000 after buying an additional 364,307 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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