Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Stock

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price target upped by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $303.00 to $318.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target would indicate a potential downside of 1.46% from the company’s current price.

HLT has been the topic of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $318.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $320.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $299.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $356.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $328.09.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT opened at $322.71 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $306.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $287.48. Hilton Worldwide has a 52 week low of $201.15 and a 52 week high of $333.86. The company has a market capitalization of $73.84 billion, a PE ratio of 52.73, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.11.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.06. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 12.10% and a negative return on equity of 40.24%. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. Hilton Worldwide has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.490-8.610 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.910-1.970 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 114,289 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.47, for a total value of $36,283,328.83. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 36,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,570,194.15. The trade was a 75.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter worth $32,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 52.9% in the third quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 110.6% in the third quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 139 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 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 and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and resorts. Its business spans full-service luxury and lifestyle properties, select- and focused-service hotels, and extended-stay accommodations. The company generates revenue through management and franchise fees, owned and leased real estate, and guest services, and supports customer retention and direct bookings through its Hilton Honors guest loyalty program.

Hilton’s brand portfolio includes internationally recognized names across the lodging spectrum, from luxury and upper-upscale brands to midscale and extended-stay offerings.