Handelsbanken Fonder AB Acquires 8,449 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 10.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 91,350 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,449 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $22,578,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 4,118 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLT opened at $267.90 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $193.86 and a 1 year high of $275.22. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $253.27 and its 200 day moving average is $239.24. The company has a market cap of $64.46 billion, a PE ratio of 43.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. Analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HLT. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 price objective (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $246.61.

Insider Activity

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total value of $10,928,745.99. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

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.