Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Shares Gap Up to $197.04

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) shares gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $197.04, but opened at $205.56. Hilton Worldwide shares last traded at $208.62, with a volume of 551,934 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on HLT shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $196.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. HSBC raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $203.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $190.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $157.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $201.78.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $51.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.25. The firm's fifty day moving average is $205.55 and its 200 day moving average is $184.32.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.11. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 11.15% and a negative return on equity of 94.46%. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.59 EPS. Hilton Worldwide's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.06 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.29%. Hilton Worldwide's payout ratio is 13.86%.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 21,489 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.68, for a total value of $4,204,967.52. Following the sale, the insider now owns 2,536,478 shares in the company, valued at $496,338,015.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Putnam Investments LLC grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 3,826,023 shares of the company's stock valued at $696,680,000 after buying an additional 216,219 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter valued at $475,073,000. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 181.1% during the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,607,803 shares of the company's stock valued at $391,640,000 after purchasing an additional 1,680,156 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 1.9% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,466,740 shares of the company's stock valued at $370,455,000 after purchasing an additional 46,197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,074,498 shares of the company's stock valued at $377,745,000 after purchasing an additional 288,587 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.