Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Downgraded to “Hold” at Melius

Melius cut shares of Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on HLT. Macquarie increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $209.00 to $208.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $235.00 price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Thursday. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $224.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $219.47.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $237.03 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $59.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.53, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.31. Hilton Worldwide has a one year low of $146.36 and a one year high of $240.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $223.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $213.62.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 11.20% and a negative return on equity of 69.65%. Hilton Worldwide’s quarterly revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 23rd. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 sale, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,460,933. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 66.7% in the first quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 247.8% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 95.90% of the stock is 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.