PineStone Asset Management Inc. Has $130.50 Million Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

PineStone Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 528,010 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,500 shares during the quarter. Hilton Worldwide makes up 1.2% of PineStone Asset Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. PineStone Asset Management Inc. owned 0.22% of Hilton Worldwide worth $130,503,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 4,118 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised 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 valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. This trade represents a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total value of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

NYSE:HLT opened at $265.96 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $64.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.25, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a 50-day moving average of $252.01 and a 200-day moving average of $237.34. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $193.43 and a 52 week high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 57.01% and a net margin of 13.74%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.76 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.23%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Melius downgraded Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 price target (up previously from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, 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. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $246.61.

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.