HighTower Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 23.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 170,462 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 32,859 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 0.07% of Hilton Worldwide worth $42,131,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at approximately $765,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 194.8% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,633 shares of the company’s stock valued at $651,000 after purchasing an additional 1,740 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 953,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $232,098,000 after purchasing an additional 185,765 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 225,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,774,000 after buying an additional 4,846 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,012,069,000 after buying an additional 121,900 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This trade represents 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 currently owned by insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

NYSE:HLT opened at $222.60 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $253.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $243.55. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $193.86 and a fifty-two week high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 54.47%. On average, research analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently 9.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Macquarie boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $250.61.

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.