Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems lowered its holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 8.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 17,167 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,676 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $3,957,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,479,354,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,537 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 36.9% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,754,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,037,464,000 after buying an additional 1,282,676 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 66.3% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,127,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $667,148,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246,662 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 7.7% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,817,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $614,841,000 after acquiring an additional 200,329 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.2% during the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,158,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $470,978,000 after purchasing an additional 26,075 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $1,067,423.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,460,933. This trade represents a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HLT. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE:HLT opened at $248.41 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $164.93 and a fifty-two week high of $255.86. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $233.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $218.62. The stock has a market cap of $60.56 billion, a PE ratio of 53.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.88%.

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.