Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Issues Earnings Results

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.12, Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.51 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 11.41% and a negative return on equity of 81.29%. The company’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.24 EPS.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLT opened at $202.12 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $205.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $184.82. The company has a market cap of $50.54 billion, a PE ratio of 43.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.25. Hilton Worldwide has a 52-week low of $134.43 and a 52-week high of $215.79.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.30%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HLT shares. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $199.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $190.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $245.00 to $242.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $203.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.06.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 21,489 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $496,338,015.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 2.50% 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.