Bernstein reiterates Market Perform rating on Hilton stock amid Q2 growth

Published 24/07/2025, 15:46
Bernstein reiterates Market Perform rating on Hilton stock amid Q2 growth

Investing.com - Bernstein has reiterated its Market Perform rating and $261.00 price target on Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) following the company’s second-quarter results. The stock currently trades near its 52-week high of $279.46, with analyst targets ranging from $225 to $306, according to InvestingPro data.

The hotel chain delivered 10% EBITDA growth and 15% EPS growth in Q2, with the company reporting a 4.6% EBITDA beat while maintaining most of its full-year guidance. The company maintains impressive gross profit margins of 77.09% and generated $2.02 billion in levered free cash flow over the last twelve months.

Bernstein highlighted Hilton’s business model strengths, noting the company can fund overheads through credit card fees and modest capital expenditures through loyalty program working capital, resulting in its core franchise business achieving effectively 100% cash margin.

The firm pointed out that Hilton is expected to return approximately 90% of EBITDA to shareholders this year, demonstrating strong cash flow generation.

Despite these positive fundamentals, Bernstein maintained its neutral stance, citing Hilton’s current valuation at 19x estimated 2026 EBITDA as fully reflecting the company’s strengths, while suggesting lower-multiple alternatives might offer better opportunities. This aligns with InvestingPro’s Fair Value assessment, which indicates the stock is currently overvalued.

In other recent news, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. reported its second-quarter earnings for 2025, surpassing expectations with an adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.20, compared to the forecast of $2.03. The company’s revenue also exceeded projections, reaching $3.14 billion against an anticipated $3.10 billion. Despite these positive financial results, Hilton’s stock experienced a decline in pre-market trading, as investors appeared concerned about other factors. Additionally, Macquarie maintained its Neutral rating on Hilton while raising the stock price target to $258 from $240, following the earnings announcement. The research firm cited valuation concerns, noting Hilton’s high ranking among S&P Consumer Discretionary companies on price-to-earnings and enterprise value-to-EBITDA metrics. Macquarie also pointed out that Hilton is the second-highest traded franchisor stock. These developments provide insights into Hilton’s current market position and investor sentiment.

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