Ballentine Partners LLC Buys 109 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,131 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,268,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Groupama Asset Managment raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 4,118 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth 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 acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

HLT opened at $247.48 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $60.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.83 and a 52-week high of $259.01. The business’s fifty day moving average is $249.44 and its 200-day moving average is $232.51.

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

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HLT. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $238.24.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Hilton Worldwide

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.