Robert W. Baird Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Stock

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) had its price objective increased by Robert W. Baird from $276.00 to $278.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

HLT has been the topic of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $282.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $245.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $296.00 to $291.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Hilton Worldwide from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $258.56.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE HLT traded up $5.93 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $273.50. 1,735,577 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,179,280. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $259.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $246.84. The stock has a market cap of $64.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.01, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.25. Hilton Worldwide has a one year low of $196.04 and a one year high of $279.46.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.09 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.84% and a negative return on equity of 46.13%. Hilton Worldwide's revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.91 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is currently 9.22%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. NorthRock Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 51.0% during the 2nd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 4,377 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,166,000 after buying an additional 1,478 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,640 shares of the company's stock worth $2,035,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 52.1% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 272,686 shares of the company's stock worth $73,342,000 after purchasing an additional 93,359 shares in the last quarter. Clarendon Private LLC lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Clarendon Private LLC now owns 1,947 shares of the company's stock worth $519,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 84.1% in the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 151 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is 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.