Strategy Asset Managers LLC Purchases New Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Strategy Asset Managers LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $640,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the first quarter worth $2,792,000. PGGM Investments grew its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 337.6% in the 2nd quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 14,378 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,137,000 after buying an additional 11,092 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 201.4% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 181,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,853,000 after acquiring an additional 121,322 shares in the last quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 35.8% in the third quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 28,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,628,000 after purchasing an additional 7,583 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 10.9% during the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 321,656 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,185,000 after purchasing an additional 31,548 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of HLT opened at $250.14 on Thursday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $165.25 and a one year high of $255.86. The business has a fifty day moving average of $235.80 and a 200 day moving average of $219.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.68, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. Analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

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 stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on 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. Macquarie increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered 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. Bank of America increased their price objective 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. Finally, Mizuho increased 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. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide 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.