Quest Partners LLC Acquires 2,512 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Quest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 133.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 4,388 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,512 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,011,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% during the third quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $468,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 0.5% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,946,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 4.1% during the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Graypoint LLC grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 2.6% during the third quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 1,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 4.2% during the third quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of HLT stock opened at $250.14 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $60.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $165.25 and a one year high of $255.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $235.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $219.71.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. Hilton Worldwide’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.67 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.24%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is presently 12.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,460,933. The trade was a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value 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 $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Company 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.