Should You Buy Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc (HLT) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Conclusion
Buy
Latest Price
296.310
1 Day change
0.05%
52 Week Range
306.280
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/29
Buy HLT now for a beginner, long-term investor with $50k–$100k. The stock is in a broader uptrend (bullish moving-average stack), sentiment is supportive (bullish put/call ratios, repeated price-target raises, and Congress net buying), and Hilton is actively returning capital (expanded buyback authorization). Near-term momentum is a bit mixed (bearish MACD), but for a long-term buyer who doesn’t want to wait for a “perfect” dip, the current ~$296 level is a reasonable entry ahead of the next earnings (QDEC 2025 on 2026-02-11).
**Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals**
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Technical Analysis
Trend is constructive overall: moving averages are bullish (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200), which supports a long-term uptrend. However, the MACD histogram (-0.884) is below zero and negatively expanding, implying short-term momentum has weakened. RSI_6 at ~48.7 is neutral (no immediate overbought/oversold signal). Key levels: Pivot ~297; support S1 ~290 then S2 ~285.6; resistance R1 ~304.2 then R2 ~308.6. With price around 296, the stock is sitting near the pivot—more “mid-range” than stretched.
Options Data
Bullish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bullish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Options positioning leans bullish: open interest put/call at 0.57 suggests more call positioning than puts. Volume put/call at 0.75 is also call-leaning. Implied volatility (30D ~26.4) is modestly above historical volatility (~24.0), with IV percentile ~62—options are not extremely cheap, but not signaling panic. Overall, options sentiment supports a bullish-to-neutral stance rather than defensive hedging.
Technical Summary
Sell
3
Buy
6
Positive Catalysts
- Hilton expanded its portfolio significantly (added ~800 hotels) and plans to start construction on ~100,000 new rooms (growth/scale catalyst).
- Increased stock buyback program by $3.5B (total authorization noted as $4.6B), supportive for long-term per-share returns.
- Analyst price targets broadly moving higher into 2026, implying improving Street confidence.
- Congress trading in the last 90 days shows 4 purchase transactions and 0 sales (net positive signal from influential buyers).
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
- Near-term technical momentum is soft (MACD bearish and expanding), which can limit upside speed in the immediate weeks.
- Some analysts expect a “soft-ish”/muted fundamental quarter and note consumer stretch and potential for negative estimate revisions (macro sensitivity for lodging).
- Price is close to nearby resistance (304–309 zone), which could slow gains if the stock stalls there.
Financial Performance
Latest reported quarter: 2025/Q3. Revenue rose to $1.283B (+3.47% YoY), while profitability accelerated meaningfully: Net Income $420M (+22.09% YoY) and EPS $1.77 (+28.26% YoY). Gross margin improved to 74.82% (+1.40% YoY). The key takeaway is that earnings are growing faster than revenue, indicating improving operating leverage/efficiency—attractive for a long-term holder.
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Recent trend is clearly upward on targets with ratings mostly positive: Evercore ISI raised PT to $325 (In Line), Barclays to $309 (Overweight), Morgan Stanley to $306 (Overweight), Bernstein to $304 (Market Perform), BofA to $324 (Buy), Goldman upgraded to Buy with PT $317, and Wells Fargo initiated Overweight with PT $332. Wall Street pros: best-in-class unit growth/brand strength, supportive travel setup, capital returns via buybacks. Cons: expectations for muted near-term fundamentals and sensitivity to consumer/macro conditions, with some caution on estimate revisions.
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 292.37 USD with a low forecast of 253 USD and a high forecast of 340 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 292.37 USD with a low forecast of 253 USD and a high forecast of 340 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.
11 Buy
7 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 296.170
Low
253
Averages
292.37
High
340
Current: 296.170
Low
253
Averages
292.37
High
340
Evercore ISI
In Line
maintain
$280 -> $325
AI Analysis
2026-01-22
Reason
Evercore ISI
Price Target
$280 -> $325
AI Analysis
2026-01-22
maintain
In Line
Reason
Evercore ISI raised the firm's price target on Hilton to $325 from $280 and keeps an In Line rating on the shares as the firm updates its lodging brand estimates ahead of Q4 reporting season.
Barclays
NULL
to
Overweight
maintain
$297 -> $309
2026-01-16
Reason
Barclays
Price Target
$297 -> $309
2026-01-16
maintain
NULL
to
Overweight
Reason
Barclays raised the firm's price target on Hilton to $309 from $297 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm adjusted lodging targets as part of a Q4 preview. It expects "another soft-ish" quarter, and says the stocks have moved ahead on anticipation of a better macro environment.
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