Empirical Finance LLC Decreases Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Empirical Finance LLC decreased its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,793 shares of the company’s stock after selling 95 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $443,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total value of $10,928,745.99. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of HLT stock opened at $267.43 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.83 and a 12-month high of $274.18. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $250.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $236.10.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 57.01% and a net margin of 13.74%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on HLT. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Macquarie increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $263.00 price objective (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Melius lowered Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Twelve 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.com, Hilton Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $246.61.

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.