Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Stock Position Raised by Quest Partners LLC

Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 133.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,388 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,512 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,011,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. AMG National Trust Bank bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth about $213,000. Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 5,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,262,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 223,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,597,000 after purchasing an additional 6,322 shares during the last quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,002,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 262,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,473,000 after purchasing an additional 18,649 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on HLT. Evercore ISI upped their target price 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. Melius Research reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Macquarie increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT stock opened at $250.14 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $60.98 billion, a PE ratio of 53.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $165.25 and a 12 month high of $255.86. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $235.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $219.71.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.87 billion for 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

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

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.