Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Purchased by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 52,857 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,658 shares during the period. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $13,064,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 4,118 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $243.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $238.24.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE HLT opened at $241.62 on Tuesday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $180.96 and a 52 week high of $259.01. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $249.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $231.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.90 billion, a PE ratio of 51.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.88%.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.