Hilton Retains Shearson: Hilton Hotels, whose stock...

Hilton Retains Shearson: Hilton Hotels, whose stock has soared in recent weeks on rumors that it may be sold, said it has hired as financial advisers the New York investment banking firms Shearson Lehman Hutton and Eastdil Realty. They are to consult on various strategies to “maximize shareholder values,” the Beverly Hills hotel firm said. Eastdil is 50% owned by Nomura Securities of Japan. Shortly after coming into 34% voting control in the firm founded by his father, Chairman Barron Hilton said May 12 that the company was not seeking a buyer but would consider any purchase offers. Since then, Hilton’s stock price has risen to above $100 a share from about $65. Eastdil’s chairman, Benjamin V. Lambert, has been a Hilton director for several years.