Vestcor Inc Buys 390 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Vestcor Inc increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,800 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 390 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,106,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:HLT opened at $255.91 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $244.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $224.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $175.80 and a 12-month high of $259.01.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its 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. The company had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect 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 repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.23%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.88%.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Melius Research restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Melius lowered Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $230.59.

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.