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Hilton Worldwide Holdings HLT

Hilton Worldwide Holdings scores good on business quality (6.7 of 10). Here is why, in plain words, and what our sealed record shows.

Last price$326.56Oct 9, 2026
Business qualityGood
Next earningsOct 27, 2026, before the open
Insiders, 90 daysSelling

Why it matters

  1. What Hilton Worldwide Holdings does

    Hilton operates a global hotel franchise and management business, collecting fee revenue from property owners for brand and loyalty system access. Growth depends on expanding its franchised footprint and unit pipeline without heavy real estate ownership.

  2. What it does best

    Hilton dominates asset-light global franchising, generating an operating margin of 23.4% that outpaces Marriott's 15.7%. The massive Honors loyalty ecosystem locks in travelers and property owners, creating a network effect rivals struggle to match.

  3. The main risk

    With net debt climbing to $11.4B against $918M in cash, any sharp macro downturn in consumer travel threatens fee streams used to service obligations and fund massive $3.2B buybacks.

Quality, check by check

Scored against its own industry, from company filings.

ProfitabilityStrong

Operating margin stands at 23.4% while free cash flow margin hits the top quartile of its sector at 80th percentile, proving the asset-light franchise model scales efficiently with virtually zero physical real estate burden.

MoatFair

Brand scale and ecosystem lock-in protect property owners and consumers alike, supported by an ROE in the top decile of its sector at 171% due to negative equity from aggressive buybacks.

GrowthSteady

Revenue growth sits at 7.7% over the latest period, continuing a steady climb from $10.2B in 2023 as unit expansion drives higher fee volume.

Financial healthFair

Carrying $12.4B in total debt with interest coverage at 4.4x, cash generation remains steady with free cash flow at $1.9B, leaving the balance sheet carrying meaningful obligations.

Insiders

Executives and directors, from SEC Form 4 filings we read ourselves. Open market trades only; grants, option exercises and pre-planned sales left out.

2 sold $2.4M outside pre-planned sales.

Our sealed record on HLT

Verdicts appear here 30 days after we publish them; members see today's. Each one is in the nightly ledger, fingerprinted the night it was made.

The first sealed verdicts appear here on Oct 11, 2026.

Questions

Is HLT a good business?

Hilton Worldwide Holdings scores good on the Cluenex quality check (6.7 of 10), measured against its own industry. Profitability is strong, moat fair, growth steady and financial health fair.

Are insiders buying HLT?

In the last 90 days of SEC Form 4 filings: 2 sold $2.4M outside pre-planned sales.

When does HLT report earnings?

Oct 27, 2026, before the open.

For members

See HLT today

  • Today's verdict on HLT, and why
  • Fair value with cautious, base and optimistic cases
  • The exact price that would change the verdict
  • Which stocks each signal names, the night it fires
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Cite this page: Cluenex, “Hilton Worldwide Holdings (HLT)”, https://cluenex.com/stocks/hlt/, data as of Oct 10, 2026.