Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Acquired by Amundi

Amundi lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 24.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 953,938 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 185,765 shares during the period. Amundi owned approximately 0.39% of Hilton Worldwide worth $232,098,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HLT. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total value of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT opened at $247.35 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $59.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $255.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $243.54. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $193.86 and a one year high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 54.47%. Analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on HLT shares. Susquehanna upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 target price (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $250.61.

Hilton Worldwide Company Profile

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc, a hospitality company, engages in managing, franchising, owning, and leasing hotels and resorts. It operates through two segments, Management and Franchise, and Ownership. The company engages in the hotel management and licensing of its brands. It operates luxury hotels under the Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts, and Conrad Hotels & Resorts brand; lifestyle hotels under the Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Tempo by Hilton, and Motto by Hilton brand; full service hotels under the Signia by Hilton, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and DoubleTree by Hilton brand; service hotels under the Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, and Tru by Hilton brand; all-suite hotels under the Embassy Suites by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, and Home2 Suites by Hilton brand; and economy hotel under the Spark by Hilton brand, as well as Hilton Grand Vacations.