Stephens Inc. AR Acquires 55 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Stephens Inc. AR boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,859 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,201,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

HLT opened at $273.47 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $251.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $236.86. The firm has a market cap of $66.67 billion, a PE ratio of 44.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.83 and a twelve month high of $274.53.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 57.01% and a net margin of 13.74%. Equities analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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 given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.76%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Melius Research reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Raymond James raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $246.61.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.