Portfolio Design Labs LLC Purchases 2,216 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Portfolio Design Labs LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 37.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,158 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,216 shares during the period. Portfolio Design Labs LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,016,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth $765,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,012,069,000 after purchasing an additional 121,900 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at $1,246,000. Finally, Dale Q Rice Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at $593,000. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT stock opened at $269.06 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $65.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $186.83 and a 52 week high of $274.18. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $250.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $236.48.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 57.01%. Analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on HLT shares. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.