Polymer Capital Management HK LTD Lowers Stock Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Polymer Capital Management HK LTD trimmed its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 33.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,000 shares during the quarter. Polymer Capital Management HK LTD’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,766,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the company’s 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 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at $3,460,933. The trade was 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HLT. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of HLT opened at $251.02 on Wednesday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $166.92 and a one year high of $255.86. The company has a 50-day moving average of $241.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $222.87. The stock has a market cap of $61.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.87, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its 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. The business had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. Hilton Worldwide’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued 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 is currently 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.