ING Groep NV Acquires 30,489 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

ING Groep NV increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 160.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 49,446 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 30,489 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $12,221,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HLT. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 33,156 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,642,000 after purchasing an additional 3,078 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 17.1% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 129,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,809,000 after purchasing an additional 18,911 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,611,000 after purchasing an additional 983 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $820,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Finally, Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,013,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

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

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.6 %

HLT stock opened at $267.90 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $193.86 and a 12 month high of $275.22. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $253.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $239.24. The stock has a market cap of $64.46 billion, a PE ratio of 43.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 54.47%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.22%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 9.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Macquarie raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $246.61.

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.