Sierra Ocean LLC Takes $36,000 Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Groupama Asset Managment raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 4,118 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Macquarie increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating 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. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $246.61.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $265.96 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $252.16 and its 200-day moving average is $237.97. The company has a market cap of $64.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.25, 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 $193.43 and a 12 month high of $275.22.

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

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.23%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.76%.

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

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

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.