Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Shares Gap Up to $197.04

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $197.04, but opened at $205.56. Hilton Worldwide shares last traded at $208.62, with a volume of 551,934 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. HSBC raised their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $203.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $190.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $201.78.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 4.4 %

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $205.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $184.17. The firm has a market cap of $51.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.25.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.61 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 94.46% and a net margin of 11.15%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.59 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.06 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.29%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is 13.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 21,489 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.68, for a total value of $4,204,967.52. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,536,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $496,338,015.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Savoir Faire Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth about $4,270,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 19,454.9% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 296,453 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,981,000 after acquiring an additional 294,937 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,674,212 shares of the company’s stock valued at $305,159,000 after acquiring an additional 98,790 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 16,370 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,981,000 after buying an additional 694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,276,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Company Profile

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.