Swiss National Bank Decreases Stock Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Swiss National Bank trimmed its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 742,079 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,100 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $171,049,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,792,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 137,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,375,000 after acquiring an additional 4,677 shares in the last quarter. PGGM Investments raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 337.6% during the 2nd quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 14,378 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,137,000 after acquiring an additional 11,092 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 234.4% during the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 7,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,703,000 after purchasing an additional 5,598 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 201.4% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 181,576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,853,000 after purchasing an additional 121,322 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,460,933. This trade represents a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Melius downgraded Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Macquarie upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.7 %

HLT opened at $248.41 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $60.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.31, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $164.93 and a 12-month high of $255.86. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $233.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $218.76.

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

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs 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, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.88%.

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.