Fisher Funds Management LTD Takes Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Fisher Funds Management LTD purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 17,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,412,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Groupama Asset Managment raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 4,118 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on HLT shares. Macquarie lifted their price target 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. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Mizuho reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $263.00 price target (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $246.61.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 transaction, the insider now owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $259.31 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $253.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $240.12. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $193.86 and a 12-month high of $275.22. The company has a market cap of $62.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.16, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given 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 dividend yield of 0.23%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is 9.76%.

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

Hilton Worldwide 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.