MetLife Investment Management LLC Has $16.09 Million Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

MetLife Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 3.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,802 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,659 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $16,089,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth about $37,000. Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on HLT shares. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Macquarie upped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven equities 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, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT opened at $250.42 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $61.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.30. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $239.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $221.46. 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 released 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 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.67 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.24%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently 12.88%.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 sale, the insider now owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,460,933. The trade was a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

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.