Larson Financial Group LLC Increases Stock Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,345 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 329 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,615,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT opened at $253.00 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $237.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $220.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.68 billion, a PE ratio of 54.29, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.87 billion during 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 last year, the business posted $1.67 EPS. Analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 12.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total transaction of $1,067,423.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at $3,460,933. The trade was a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. The trade was a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on HLT shares. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven investment 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 currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $228.71.

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.