Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd Lowers Stock Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd decreased its holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 61.1% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 7,008 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,016 shares during the period. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,615,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth $38,000. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of Hilton Worldwide 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 sale, the insider now owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,460,933. The trade was a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the business’s 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 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. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays cut their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Melius lowered Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of HLT opened at $250.42 on Thursday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $165.25 and a 12-month high of $255.86. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $239.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $221.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.05 billion, a PE ratio of 53.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.67 EPS. As a group, 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 program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

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.