Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Sold by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV decreased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 43.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,957 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,690 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $4,370,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $3,460,933. The trade was a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This 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 insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HLT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. 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. Macquarie upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Melius lowered shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.6 %

HLT stock opened at $248.41 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $164.93 and a one year high of $255.86. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $232.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $218.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.56 billion, a PE ratio of 53.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 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 the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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 year.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

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.