Procyon Advisors LLC Has $2.53 Million Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Procyon Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,222 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 781 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,527,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 282.1% during the fourth quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $247,000 after buying an additional 739 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3,515.2% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 2,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $590,000 after buying an additional 2,320 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 19.6% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,641,000 after acquiring an additional 1,089 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,266 shares of the company’s stock valued at $560,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at about $584,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE:HLT opened at $246.77 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a fifty day moving average of $249.52 and a 200-day moving average of $231.74. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $181.19 and a twelve month high of $259.01.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.07. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. The firm had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HLT. Melius cut Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $243.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $238.24.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. This represents a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.