Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday. The stock 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 Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HLT. Evercore raised Hilton Worldwide from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $365.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $363.57.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $325.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $320.76. The stock has a market cap of $81.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.08.

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

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Kevin J. Jacobs sold 151,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.19, for a total transaction of $53,802,499.50. Following the transaction, 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. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 7,289 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.81, for a total value of $2,258,205.09. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 33,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,365,622.98. This trade represents a 17.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 158,778 shares of company stock worth $56,196,944. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 1,128.6% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 86 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

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.