Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.07 EPS

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 69.65% and a net margin of 11.20%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 EPS.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT traded up $1.67 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $235.17. The stock had a trading volume of 1,601,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,564,953. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $224.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $213.94. Hilton Worldwide has a fifty-two week low of $147.58 and a fifty-two week high of $240.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.13, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.31.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.26%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on HLT. Melius Research reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $223.21.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total transaction of $1,067,423.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,460,933. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.