Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Bought by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,352,243 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 49,506 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $311,692,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HLT. FMR LLC increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,215,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,585,148,000 after purchasing an additional 226,223 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,479,354,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,537 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 36.9% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,754,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,037,464,000 after acquiring an additional 1,282,676 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 33.2% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,234,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $745,624,000 after purchasing an additional 806,029 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 7.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,817,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $614,841,000 after purchasing an additional 200,329 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,460,933. This represents a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on HLT shares. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price target for the company. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 1.2 %

HLT stock opened at $253.44 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $240.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $221.99. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $165.25 and a 52 week high of $255.86. The company has a market cap of $61.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. The business had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.88%.

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.