Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Extends Margin Strength Despite Slower Revenue Growth

Hilton shows sustained margin expansion while revenue dynamics weaken, leaving near-term momentum at risk. Fundamental cash flow remains supportive even as leverage and valuation metrics command scrutiny.

Recent News

On October 23, 2025 the company reported third-quarter results including $421 million net income and diluted EPS of $1.78, plus continued unit-growth and an expanded development pipeline. On October 8, 2025 Hilton marked its 9,000th hotel opening as global expansion accelerated. On November 20, 2025 Hilton announced signings intended to double the Signia brand’s footprint within three years.

Technical Analysis

ADX at 15.61 signals no established trend in price strength, reducing conviction for a sustained directional move over the near term.

Directional indicators present a bearish bias: DI+ at 24.46 shows a peak-and-reversal (bearish) while DI- at 20.06 shows a dip-and-reversal (bearish), aligning both lines toward downside pressure.

MACD stands at 1.17 above its signal line at 0.93, which constitutes a bullish MACD cross; however, the MACD has registered a peak-and-reversal, indicating momentum may already be weakening despite the cross.

MRO at 25.47 sits positive, indicating price currently sits above WMDST’s target and therefore faces potential downward pressure; the MRO has itself shown a peak-and-reversal.

RSI near 50.78 after a peak-and-reversal signals waning upside momentum rather than fresh strength.

Price behavior clusters tightly around short-term averages: the close at $267.01 sits essentially at the 20-day average ($267.23) and below the 12-day EMA ($267.98) which has peaked and reversed, while the 200-day average ($255.13) remains well below price, preserving longer-term support. Bollinger bands span $260.57–$273.90, keeping price inside a relatively narrow range.

Volume runs below 10/50/200-day averages, pointing to lower participation and weaker conviction behind recent moves.

 


Fundamental Analysis

Profitability: EBIT equals $763,000,000 and EBITDA equals $809,000,000, with an EBIT margin of 24.46% that sits slightly below the industry peer mean of 25.15% while improving 11.11% year-over-year and down 1.65% quarter-over-quarter. Operating margin at 24.90% rose 13.15% YoY, reinforcing margin resilience amid softer top-line trends.

Revenue and earnings: Reported total revenue reached $3,120,000,000. YoY revenue change registers at -80.96% while the most recent overall revenue growth figure reads -0.54%; diluted EPS came in at $1.78 versus an estimate of $1.88, an EPS surprise of -5.32%.

Cash flow and liquidity: Operating cash flow reached $816,000,000 with free cash flow of $766,000,000 and a free-cash-flow yield of 1.24%, marginally below the industry peer mean of 1.33%. Cash and short-term investments total $1,057,000,000; cash conversion shows pressure with a cash conversion ratio of -1.98 and cash conversion cycle of 48.67 days.

Capital structure: Total debt stands at $12,351,000,000 and net debt at $10,581,000,000. Debt-to-EBITDA at 15.27 signals elevated leverage versus typical hotel-sector norms. Current ratio at 0.66 sits below the industry peer mean of 1.043, indicating constrained near-term liquidity when measured by current assets versus liabilities.

Returns and book: Return on equity registers -8.52% while return on assets sits at 2.58%. Book value per share reads negative, and price-to-book shows -12.49, reflecting negative equity on the balance sheet. P/E at 125.30 stands above the industry peer mean of 74.33; price-to-sales at 19.75 sits above the industry peer mean of 14.63.

Valuation: The current valuation as determined by WMDST rates the stock as fair-valued, balancing strong cash generation and margin expansion against elevated leverage, negative book value, a high P/E multiple, and muted top-line growth.

MOST-RECENT QUARTERLY REPORT
REPORT PERIOD ENDING: 2025-09-30
REPORT DATE: 2025-10-22
NEXT REPORT DATE: 2026-01-21
CASH FLOW  Begin Period Cash Flow 448.0 M
 Operating Cash Flow 816.0 M
 Capital Expenditures -50.00 M
 Change In Working Capital 264.0 M
 Dividends Paid -35.00 M
 Cash Flow Delta 678.0 M
 End Period Cash Flow 1.1 B
 
INCOME STATEMENT REVENUE
 Total Revenue 3.1 B
 Forward Revenue 864.5 M
COSTS
 Cost Of Revenue 2.2 B
 Depreciation 46.0 M
 Depreciation and Amortization 46.0 M
 Research and Development
 Total Operating Expenses 2.3 B
PROFITABILITY
 Gross Profit 941.0 M
 EBITDA 809.0 M
 EBIT 763.0 M
 Operating Income 777.0 M
 Interest Income
 Interest Expense 159.0 M
 Net Interest Income -159.00 M
 Income Before Tax 604.0 M
 Tax Provision 183.0 M
 Tax Rate 30.298 %
 Net Income 420.0 M
 Net Income From Continuing Operations 421.0 M
EARNINGS
 EPS Estimate 1.88
 EPS Actual 1.78
 EPS Difference -0.10
 EPS Surprise -5.319 %
 Forward EPS 2.00
 
BALANCE SHEET ASSETS
 Total Assets 16.6 B
 Intangible Assets 11.7 B
 Net Tangible Assets -16.62 B
 Total Current Assets 3.1 B
 Cash and Short-Term Investments 1.1 B
 Cash 1.1 B
 Net Receivables 1.7 B
 Inventory
 Long-Term Investments 508.0 M
LIABILITIES
 Accounts Payable
 Short-Term Debt 35.0 M
 Total Current Liabilities 4.7 B
 Net Debt 10.6 B
 Total Debt 12.4 B
 Total Liabilities 21.5 B
EQUITY
 Total Equity -4.93 B
 Retained Earnings -1.77 B
VALUATION & PER-SHARE METRICS EQUITY & PER-SHARE METRICS
 Book Value Per-Share -21.16
 Shares Outstanding 233.054 M
 Revenue Per-Share 13.39
VALUATION
 Market Capitalization 61.6 B
 Enterprise Value 72.9 B
 Enterprise Multiple 90.123
Enterprise Multiple QoQ 0.667 %
Enterprise Multiple YoY 10.89 %
Enterprise Multiple IPRWA high: 189.281
HLT: 90.123
mean: 62.587
median: 55.927
low: 3.484
 EV/R 23.369
CAPITAL STRUCTURE
 Asset To Equity -3.374
 Asset To Liability 0.773
 Debt To Capital 1.665
 Debt To Assets 0.742
Debt To Assets QoQ 0.949 %
Debt To Assets YoY 1051.233 %
Debt To Assets IPRWA high: 1.606
HLT: 0.742
median: 0.585
mean: 0.577
low: 0.019
 Debt To Equity -2.504
Debt To Equity QoQ -1.697 %
Debt To Equity YoY 707.591 %
Debt To Equity IPRWA high: 13.542
median: 0.639
mean: 0.576
HLT: -2.504
low: -12.738
PRICE-BASED VALUATION
 Price To Book (P/B) -12.493
Price To Book QoQ -8.042 %
Price To Book YoY -20.884 %
Price To Book IPRWA high: 33.181
median: 9.008
mean: 3.749
HLT: -12.493
low: -22.92
 Price To Earnings (P/E) 125.301
Price To Earnings QoQ 7.642 %
Price To Earnings YoY 7.398 %
Price To Earnings IPRWA high: 357.224
HLT: 125.301
mean: 74.331
median: 60.769
low: -85.409
 PE/G Ratio -30.628
 Price To Sales (P/S) 19.749
Price To Sales QoQ -0.652 %
Price To Sales YoY 3.331 %
Price To Sales IPRWA high: 20.381
HLT: 19.749
median: 17.023
mean: 14.633
low: 0.325
FORWARD MULTIPLES
Forward P/E 133.441
Forward PE/G -32.618
Forward P/S 71.27
EFFICIENCY OPERATIONAL
 Operating Leverage 4.022
ASSET & SALES
 Asset Turnover Ratio 0.192
Asset Turnover Ratio QoQ -2.373 %
Asset Turnover Ratio YoY 8.426 %
Asset Turnover Ratio IPRWA high: 0.723
mean: 0.209
median: 0.2
HLT: 0.192
low: 0.088
 Receivables Turnover 1.875
Receivables Turnover Ratio QoQ -2.843 %
Receivables Turnover Ratio YoY 3.822 %
Receivables Turnover Ratio IPRWA high: 44.676
mean: 14.921
median: 7.658
HLT: 1.875
low: 1.042
 Inventory Turnover
Inventory Turnover Ratio QoQ
Inventory Turnover Ratio YoY
Inventory Turnover Ratio IPRWA
 Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) 48.667
CASH CYCLE
 Cash Conversion Cycle Days (CCC) 48.667
Cash Conversion Cycle Days QoQ
Cash Conversion Cycle Days YoY
Cash Conversion Cycle Days IPRWA high: 77.037
HLT: 48.667
median: -7.942
mean: -8.926
low: -73.834
CAPITAL DEPLOYMENT
 Cash Conversion Ratio -1.976
 CapEx To Revenue -0.016
 CapEx To Depreciation -1.087
 
CAPITAL, LIQUIDITY & COVERAGE CAPITAL STRUCTURE
 Total Capital 6.7 B
 Net Invested Capital 6.7 B
 Invested Capital 6.7 B
 Net Tangible Assets -16.62 B
 Net Working Capital -1.58 B
LIQUIDITY
 Cash Ratio 0.225
 Current Ratio 0.664
Current Ratio QoQ 23.287 %
Current Ratio YoY -16.552 %
Current Ratio IPRWA high: 3.125
mean: 1.043
median: 0.848
HLT: 0.664
low: 0.031
 Quick Ratio
Quick Ratio QoQ
Quick Ratio YoY
Quick Ratio IPRWA
COVERAGE & LEVERAGE
 Debt To EBITDA 15.267
 Cost Of Debt 0.922 %
 Interest Coverage Ratio 4.799
Interest Coverage Ratio QoQ -7.101 %
Interest Coverage Ratio YoY 6.47 %
Interest Coverage Ratio IPRWA high: 42.958
mean: 13.873
median: 8.562
HLT: 4.799
low: -2.484
 Operating Cash Flow Ratio 0.104
TIMING / LIQUIDITY
 Days Payables Outstanding (DPO)
DIVIDENDS
 Dividend Coverage Ratio 12.0
 Dividend Payout Ratio 0.083
 Dividend Rate 0.15
 Dividend Yield 0.001
PERFORMANCE GROWTH
 Asset Growth Rate 4.634 %
 Revenue Growth -0.542 %
Revenue Growth QoQ -103.305 %
Revenue Growth YoY -80.956 %
Revenue Growth IPRWA high: 26.865 %
mean: 1.764 %
HLT: -0.542 %
median: -1.408 %
low: -13.106 %
 Earnings Growth -4.091 %
Earnings Growth QoQ -105.188 %
Earnings Growth YoY -880.725 %
Earnings Growth IPRWA high: 114.563 %
mean: 16.396 %
median: 9.722 %
HLT: -4.091 %
low: -160.0 %
MARGINS
 Gross Margin 30.16 %
Gross Margin QoQ -1.034 %
Gross Margin YoY 9.593 %
Gross Margin IPRWA high: 86.593 %
median: 41.646 %
mean: 41.621 %
HLT: 30.16 %
low: 12.516 %
 EBIT Margin 24.455 %
EBIT Margin QoQ -1.649 %
EBIT Margin YoY 11.114 %
EBIT Margin IPRWA high: 52.4 %
median: 32.021 %
mean: 25.15 %
HLT: 24.455 %
low: -12.025 %
 Return On Sales (ROS) 24.904 %
Return On Sales QoQ 0.415 %
Return On Sales YoY 13.154 %
Return On Sales IPRWA high: 47.382 %
median: 29.421 %
HLT: 24.904 %
mean: 24.327 %
low: -12.386 %
CASH FLOW
 Free Cash Flow (FCF) 766.0 M
 Free Cash Flow Yield 1.243 %
Free Cash Flow Yield QoQ 26.065 %
Free Cash Flow Yield YoY 10.391 %
Free Cash Flow Yield IPRWA high: 6.214 %
mean: 1.332 %
median: 1.26 %
HLT: 1.243 %
low: -4.598 %
 Free Cash Growth 24.553 %
Free Cash Growth QoQ -50.168 %
Free Cash Growth YoY -59.813 %
Free Cash Growth IPRWA high: 271.747 %
HLT: 24.553 %
mean: 7.124 %
median: 1.36 %
low: -516.758 %
 Free Cash To Net Income 1.824
 Cash Flow Margin 15.705 %
 Cash Flow To Earnings 1.167
VALUE & RETURNS
 Economic Value Added 0.04
 Return On Assets (ROA) 2.581 %
Return On Assets QoQ -6.316 %
Return On Assets YoY 21.631 %
Return On Assets IPRWA high: 8.233 %
mean: 3.284 %
median: 2.639 %
HLT: 2.581 %
low: -5.746 %
 Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) 6.389 %
 Return On Equity (ROE) -0.085
Return On Equity QoQ -11.162 %
Return On Equity YoY -14.101 %
Return On Equity IPRWA high: 0.405
median: 0.119
mean: 0.046
HLT: -0.085
low: -0.233
 DuPont ROE -8.822 %
 Return On Invested Capital (ROIC) 7.931 %
Return On Invested Capital QoQ -8.057 %
Return On Invested Capital YoY -109.042 %
Return On Invested Capital IPRWA high: 14.004 %
mean: 8.614 %
median: 8.375 %
HLT: 7.931 %
low: -12.548 %

Six-Week Outlook

Near-term price bias tilts toward consolidation with downside vulnerability. Momentum indicators (DI lines and MACD peak-and-reversal, MRO positive and reversing, RSI after a peak) point to fading upward momentum despite a bullish MACD cross; price remains pinned near short-term moving averages and below a recently peaking 12-day EMA. Expect trading to oscillate within the Bollinger band range (~$261–$274) unless directional conviction returns via renewed volume and a clear MACD trend reversal. Monitor leverage and free cash flow metrics for fundamental support; a sustained divergence between margin strength and weakening momentum will govern the stock’s directional resolve over the next six weeks.

About Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) designs a comprehensive range of hospitality services, maintaining a prominent presence in the global hotel industry. Founded in 1919 and headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Hilton manages and franchises a broad spectrum of hotels and resorts across North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company’s diverse brand portfolio includes luxury accommodations such as Waldorf Astoria and Conrad Hotels & Resorts, as well as lifestyle brands like Canopy and Curio Collection. Hilton offers full-service hospitality through Hilton Hotels & Resorts and DoubleTree by Hilton, while providing more budget-friendly options with Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton by Hilton. The company prioritizes innovation and sustainability, integrating environmentally conscious practices into its operations to enhance guest experiences. Hilton’s commitment to quality service and strategic global expansion ensures its continued influence in the hospitality sector, making it a preferred choice for travelers seeking comfort and reliability.



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