Hilton Worldwide Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:HLT)

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) was the target of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Traders acquired 32,074 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 1,098% compared to the average daily volume of 2,677 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 21,489 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.68, for a total transaction of $4,204,967.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,536,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $496,338,015.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HLT. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 66.7% during the 1st quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLT has been the subject of several recent research reports. HSBC upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Barclays upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $204.00 to $216.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Bank of America upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.94.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE:HLT traded down $0.37 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $204.33. 745,010 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,485,137. The company’s 50 day moving average is $205.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $184.32. Hilton Worldwide has a twelve month low of $134.43 and a twelve month high of $215.79. The company has a market capitalization of $51.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.25.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.12. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 94.46% and a net margin of 11.15%. The firm had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.24 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.06 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.29%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.86%.

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.