Marks Group Wealth Management Inc Sells 127 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc decreased its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,932 shares of the company’s stock after selling 127 shares during the quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on HLT. Raymond James upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Mizuho reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $263.00 price objective (up previously from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Twelve 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, Hilton Worldwide currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $246.61.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. This represents a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE HLT opened at $273.47 on Thursday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.83 and a 12-month high of $274.53. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $251.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $236.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.67 billion, a PE ratio of 44.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 57.01% and a net margin of 13.74%. On average, equities analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.