Choate Investment Advisors Boosts Stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Choate Investment Advisors raised its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 28.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,403 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,194 shares during the quarter. Choate Investment Advisors’ holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $3,560,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,479,354,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,537 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth about $226,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 50.9% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,940 shares of the company’s stock worth $678,000 after acquiring an additional 992 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 0.9% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 10,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,376,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 7.1% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 36,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,400,000 after acquiring an additional 2,403 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. This represents a 50.58 % 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 Trading Up 3.5 %

NYSE:HLT opened at $229.61 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $193.86 and a 12 month high of $275.22. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $253.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $243.83. The company has a market capitalization of $55.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.34, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HLT has been the topic of a number of research reports. 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. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $250.61.

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.