Ascent Group LLC Takes Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Ascent Group LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 5,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,206,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 transaction of $1,067,423.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,460,933. This trade represents a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. The trade was a 38.60 % 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Melius downgraded shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company 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 stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $251.02 on Wednesday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $166.92 and a twelve month high of $255.86. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $241.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $222.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.19 billion, a PE ratio of 53.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $0.15 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.88%.

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.