Hilton Worldwide Turns To Profit In Q4 - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (HLT) reported that its fourth-quarter attributable net income was $840 million or $2.61 per share, compared to net loss of $387 million or $1.18 per share last year.

The latest quarter's results include a $665 million provisional tax benefit related to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in December 2017.

Adjusted for special items, earnings were $0.54 per share, compared to $0.41 per share last year. On a pro forma basis, earnings per share, adjusted for special items, increased six percent from the year-ago period.

Total revenues for the quarter increased to $2.28 billion from last year's $1.84 billion. The prior year's pro forma revenues were $2.17 billion.

On average, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings of $0.45 per share on revenues of $2.24 billion for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

Looking ahead to the first quarter, the company forecast earnings per share before special items between $0.43 and $0.47, and earnings per share adjusted for special items between $0.43 and $0.47. The company projects system-wide RevPAR to increase between 1.0 percent and 3.0 percent on a comparable and currency neutral basis compared to the first quarter of 2017.

Analysts expect earnings of $0.49 per share for the quarter.

For fiscal year 2018, the company forecast earnings per share, before special items, is projected to be between $2.49 and $2.60, earnings per share adjusted for special items between $2.49 and $2.60, and system-wide RevPAR to increase between 1.0 percent and 3.0 percent on a comparable and currency neutral basis compared to 2017.

The Street expects the company to earn $2.56 per share for the year.