Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Sold by Everence Capital Management Inc.

Everence Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 21.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,230 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,290 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,034,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,456 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,101,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 372 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at about $631,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,012,069,000 after buying an additional 121,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $765,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $243.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Melius cut shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $238.24.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLT opened at $246.52 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $60.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.90, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $248.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $229.92. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $178.23 and a 52 week high of $259.01.

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

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued 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 was Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is 12.88%.

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

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of Hilton Worldwide 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 transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. This trade represents a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.