Ricardo Pillai
3 min read
In This Article:
We came across a bullish thesis on Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (HLT) on Waver’s Substack. In this article, we will summarize the bulls’ thesis on HLT. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (HLT)'s share was trading at $253.54 as of 11th June. HLT’s trailing and forward P/E were 39.82 and 31.45 respectively according to Yahoo Finance.
An architectural view of premium-branded hotels with the iconic company logo illuminated in the evening. Hilton’s evolution into an asset-light powerhouse exemplifies one of the most successful business transformations in modern hospitality. Rather than owning the hotels it operates, Hilton has strategically positioned itself as a brand-first enterprise, deriving nearly 95% of its adjusted earnings from high-margin management and franchise fees. This approach has enabled explosive growth without the capital intensity or risks tied to real estate ownership. By focusing on brand power, loyalty programs, and global distribution platforms, Hilton has built a business that is both highly scalable and remarkably resilient. The five years from 2020 to 2025 provided a definitive stress test. When the pandemic brought global travel to a halt, asset-heavy hotel owners suffered severe losses, but Hilton, light on assets and heavy on recurring fee income, was uniquely insulated. After a 54% revenue decline in 2020, the company roared back with 34% growth in 2021 and over 51% in 2022, demonstrating not just recovery but operating leverage at scale. Investors took notice, and Hilton’s stock rewarded them with strong performance as the market recognized the strength of its fee-based model. Franchisees also benefited, gaining turnkey access to Hilton’s brand equity and reservation infrastructure, often yielding better margins than independent operations. In an industry once defined by physical property, Hilton’s pivot toward owning the brand rather than the building has rewritten the playbook on value creation. The success of its asset-light model offers a compelling lesson: in today’s economy, owning the customer relationship and the platform is far more powerful than owning the real estate. Previously, we covered a bullish thesis on Park Hotels & Resorts (PK) by Value Investigator, which emphasized its discounted asset valuation, strong FFO yield, and capital return potential amid supply constraints and rising travel demand. In contrast, Waver’s thesis on Hilton (HLT) celebrates its asset-light model, recurring fee income, and brand-driven scalability as a modern hospitality success story. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (HLT) is not on our list of the 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 76 hedge fund portfolios held HLT at the end of the first quarter which was 79 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the risk and potential of HLT as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 8 Best Wide Moat Stocks to Buy Now and 30 Most Important AI Stocks According to BlackRock. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey.
