Versant Capital Management Inc Buys 48 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 14.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 372 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $92,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at about $765,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% in the 3rd 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. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 28,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,628,000 after acquiring an additional 7,583 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 201.4% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 181,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,853,000 after acquiring an additional 121,322 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of HLT opened at $246.52 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.10 billion, a PE ratio of 52.90, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s 50-day moving average is $248.70 and its 200-day moving average is $230.14. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $178.23 and a fifty-two week high of $259.01.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict 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 approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were 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 was Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 12.88%.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius downgraded shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $243.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven investment 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, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $238.24.

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.