Industry Overview: The Zacks Hotels and Motels industry includes companies involved in owning, managing, and franchising hotels, as well as developing vacation ownership products and mobile accommodations, facing challenges like economic uncertainty and labor shortages.
Current Trends: Key trends affecting the industry include economic headwinds leading to reduced leisure and corporate travel demand, significant labor shortages impacting service quality, and a decline in revenue per available room (RevPAR) and occupancy rates.
Market Performance: The Zacks Hotels and Motels industry has underperformed the S&P 500, with a decline of 9.4% over the past year, while the industry's valuation remains lower than the S&P 500 average, indicating a lack of investor confidence.
Stocks to Watch: Notable companies in the industry include Marriott, Hilton, and Choice Hotels, each showing potential for growth through digital transformation, unit expansion, and strategic investments, despite varying stock performance over the past year.
Wall Street analysts forecast HLT stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for HLT is 287.54 USD with a low forecast of 253.00 USD and a high forecast of 340.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
18 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast HLT stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for HLT is 287.54 USD with a low forecast of 253.00 USD and a high forecast of 340.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
10 Buy
8 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 301.860
Low
253.00
Averages
287.54
High
340.00
Current: 301.860
Low
253.00
Averages
287.54
High
340.00
Bernstein
Bernstein
Market Perform
maintain
$285 -> $304
Al Analysis
2026-01-06
Reason
Bernstein
Bernstein
Price Target
$285 -> $304
Al Analysis
2026-01-06
maintain
Market Perform
Reason
Bernstein raised the firm's price target on Hilton to $304 from $285 and keeps a Market Perform rating on the shares. The firm says it normally bemoans the fact that every year our outlook piece has to be overly focused on recession risk. 2026 looks a rare exception, which should be a good year for travel with more stable U.S./China markets, limited supply supporting pricing and a strong event calendar. Bernstein is positive on the fundamentals, but notes that for OTAs, the AI question will dominate as online travel stocks remain at the center of the AI debate.
BofA
Buy
maintain
$285 -> $324
2026-01-05
Reason
BofA
Price Target
$285 -> $324
2026-01-05
maintain
Buy
Reason
BofA raised the firm's price target on Hilton to $324 from $285 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The Gaming and Lodging group "appears to be at a crossroads" to start 2026 as the year offers easy comps, OBBB refunds and stimulus, but also still has a stretched consumer after years of inflation, the analyst tells investors. Negative estimate revisions trumped low valuations in 2024 and 2025 and the firm is "fearful this continues in 2026," the analyst added in a note on the group.
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Goldman Sachs
Neutral -> Buy
upgrade
$285 -> $317
2025-12-15
Reason
Goldman Sachs
Price Target
$285 -> $317
2025-12-15
upgrade
Neutral -> Buy
Reason
Goldman Sachs upgraded Hilton to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $317, up from $285. The firm adjusted ratings in the gaming and lodging group as part of its 2026 outlook. Goldman expects a "mixed" 2026 for gaming and lodging, "with another year of the haves and have-nots." It finds it too early to call an inflection and take a positive view on gaming. In lodging, the analyst expects U.S. RevPAR growth to accelerate from 2025 with some help from the World Cup and stimulus.
Wells Fargo
initiated
$332
2025-11-17
Reason
Wells Fargo
Price Target
$332
2025-11-17
initiated
Reason
Wells Fargo initiated coverage of Hilton with an Overweight rating and $332 price target. The firm believes the company deserves a premium multiple to the sector given its "best-in-class" organic unit growth. Hilton has led the market in building, nurturing, and growing new innovative brands like Spark and Home2 Suites, files to sell common stock, no amount given
About HLT
Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. is a global hospitality company that is engaged in managing, franchising, owning and leasing hotels and resorts, and licensing its intellectual property, including brand names, trademarks and service marks. It has a portfolio of over 24 brands comprising more than 8,400 properties and more than 1.25 million rooms in 140 countries and territories. It has two segments: management and franchise and ownership. The management and franchise segment includes all the hotels it manages for third-party owners, as well as all franchised hotels that license its intellectual property (IP), and/or use its booking channels and related programs, and where it provides other contracted services to third-party owners. The ownership segment includes nightly hotel room sales, food and beverage sales and other services at its consolidated owned and leased hotels. Its brands include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, and others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
