Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Has $23.17 Million Stock Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lessened its holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 7.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 100,502 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,660 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $23,166,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Groupama Asset Managment raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 4,118 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related 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 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,382,423.09. The trade was 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 company insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 3.3 %

NYSE HLT opened at $249.99 on Tuesday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $172.62 and a 12 month high of $259.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.94 billion, a PE ratio of 53.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.30. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $243.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given 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 presently 12.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HLT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius Research reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Melius downgraded shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $228.71.

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.