Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Reaches New 52-Week High - Here's Why

Key Points

• Hilton shares reached a new 52-week high of $368.49 and were last trading at $362.86, up 2.4%. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.31 billion and trades above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $363.57. Recent targets range as high as $410, including upgrades from Deutsche Bank, Robert W. Baird and Wells Fargo.
• Hilton exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $2.45 versus the $2.37 consensus, while revenue rose 6.6% year over year. The company also declared a $0.15 quarterly dividend, though insiders have sold roughly $56.2 million of shares over the past 90 days.

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high on Monday. The company traded as high as $368.49 and last traded at $362.8550, with a volume of 140,470 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $356.92.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Hilton Worldwide from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $365.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $360.00 to $362.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $383.00 to $386.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Finally, Argus set a $410.00 price target on Hilton Worldwide and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $363.57.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 2.4%

The stock's 50-day moving average is $325.02 and its 200 day moving average is $320.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.31 billion, a PE ratio of 49.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.08.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.37 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 33.78% and a net margin of 13.40%. The firm's revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.11 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 9.17 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 7,289 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.81, for a total transaction of $2,258,205.09. Following the sale, the insider owned 33,458 shares in the company, valued at $10,365,622.98. The trade was a 17.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Kevin J. Jacobs sold 151,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.19, for a total value of $53,802,499.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 293,758 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,633,662.02. This represents a 33.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 158,778 shares of company stock valued at $56,196,944. Insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of HLT. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $6,271,258,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,733,669,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth $663,882,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $437,227,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at about $389,475,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hilton Worldwide Company Profile

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc is a global hospitality company that develops, owns, manages, franchises and licenses hotels, resorts and other lodging properties. Its portfolio includes brands such as Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites, Hampton by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Home2 Suites and Tru by Hilton.

The company provides accommodations and related services for business and leisure travelers, including guest rooms, meeting and event facilities, food and beverage operations, resort amenities and loyalty program benefits through Hilton Honors.

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