Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 3,026 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lessened its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 550,270 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,026 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.23% of Hilton Worldwide worth $136,005,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 4,118 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT stock opened at $269.55 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $186.83 and a one year high of $274.18. The company’s 50-day moving average is $250.31 and its 200 day moving average is $235.50.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. As a group, research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.22%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.76%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Macquarie boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Melius Research reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $244.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. This represents a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total value of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.