Brooklyn Investment Group Grows Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,128 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 52 shares during the quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of HLT stock opened at $252.92 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $61.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.27, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $238.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $221.25. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.25 and a 1 year high of $255.86.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 transaction of $1,067,423.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,460,933. This trade represents a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on HLT. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays reduced their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Macquarie lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Eleven 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, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.71.

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.