Hilton Grand Vacations (NYSE:HGV) Stock Rating Raised to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hilton Grand Vacations (NYSE:HGV) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report published on Tuesday,Zacks reports.

HGV has been the subject of several other reports. Barclays lowered their price target on Hilton Grand Vacations from $46.00 to $39.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Hilton Grand Vacations from $58.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Citigroup lowered Hilton Grand Vacations from a “market outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday. Citizens Jmp cut Hilton Grand Vacations from a “market outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Hilton Grand Vacations from $51.00 to $38.00 and set a “cautious” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilton Grand Vacations currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.10.

Hilton Grand Vacations Price Performance

Shares of HGV stock opened at $43.89 on Tuesday. Hilton Grand Vacations has a 12-month low of $33.99 and a 12-month high of $55.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a quick ratio of 3.35, a current ratio of 5.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $37.57 and a 200-day moving average of $44.53.

Hilton Grand Vacations (NYSE:HGV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $4.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $2.95. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.39 billion. Hilton Grand Vacations had a return on equity of 39.73% and a net margin of 7.02%. The firm’s revenue was up 50.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Hilton Grand Vacations will post 6.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Grand Vacations announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, August 20th that allows the company to buy back $600 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 17% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Grand Vacations

In related news, insider Mark Wang acquired 12,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $40.92 per share, for a total transaction of $499,224.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 916,715 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,511,977.80. The trade was a 1.35% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 3.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HGV. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Grand Vacations in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Covestor Ltd raised its position in Hilton Grand Vacations by 17.3% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its position in Hilton Grand Vacations by 3.4% during the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 12,322 shares of the company’s stock worth $482,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Leonteq Securities AG lifted its stake in Hilton Grand Vacations by 189.7% in the first quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in Hilton Grand Vacations in the second quarter valued at $38,000. 97.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hilton Grand Vacations

Hilton Grand Vacations Inc (NYSE:HGV) is a global vacation ownership company that markets and sells vacation intervals, points-based memberships and related travel experiences. Its portfolio includes branded vacation ownership resorts and accommodations in popular leisure destinations, with products designed to provide members with recurring access to vacation properties.

The company also provides resort management, reservation and customer services, financing for vacation ownership purchases, and exchange and travel-planning services.