Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Sold by Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board cut its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,365 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,366 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $776,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HLT. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% in the third quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the company’s stock worth $468,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,443 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,946,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 4.1% during the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.6% in the third quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 1,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $431,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $273,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on HLT. 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 objective for the company. Truist Financial upped 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. Bank of America raised their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Melius Research reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $228.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. The trade was a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,949 shares in the company, 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. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE:HLT opened at $252.03 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $165.25 and a twelve month high of $255.86. The company has a market cap of $61.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $236.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $219.93.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.67 EPS. Hilton Worldwide’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.24%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.88%.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

About Hilton Worldwide

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.