Jefferies Financial Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Stock

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) had its price objective lifted by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $237.00 to $277.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 12.36% from the stock’s previous close.

HLT has been the subject of several other research reports. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $238.24.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT stock opened at $246.52 on Thursday. Hilton Worldwide has a 1 year low of $178.23 and a 1 year high of $259.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.10 billion, a PE ratio of 52.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $248.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $229.92.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. The business’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. FineMark National Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.2% in the second quarter. FineMark National Bank & Trust now owns 79,975 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,451,000 after acquiring an additional 968 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,158,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,978,000 after buying an additional 26,075 shares during the period. Chase Investment Counsel Corp raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp now owns 14,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,135,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. First Business Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter worth $1,400,000. Finally, Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $4,015,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

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.