Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $240.39 and last traded at $240.17, with a volume of 704087 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $239.15.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on HLT. Mizuho raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius downgraded shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $59.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.99, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.31. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $226.47 and its 200-day moving average is $214.75.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 69.65% and a net margin of 11.20%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.67 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.03 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.25%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,460,933. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,460,933. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,382,423.09. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth about $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 247.8% during the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.