Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Purchased by Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 7,380 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 560 shares during the quarter. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,701,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.1 %

HLT stock traded down $0.23 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $253.40. 37,002 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,544,101. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $237.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $220.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.43, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $165.25 and a 52-week high of $255.86.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. The business had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.67 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently 12.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,460,933. This trade represents a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Mizuho boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius lowered shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.71.

About Hilton Worldwide

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.