Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Boosts Stock Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 3.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,010 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,616,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,397,000. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 79.7% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 132,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,574,000 after purchasing an additional 58,813 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 240.5% in the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 5,196 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,198,000 after purchasing an additional 3,670 shares during the last quarter. Watchtower Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $23,165,000. Finally, Weiss Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $5,838,000. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. The trade was a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

NYSE:HLT opened at $252.78 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $175.80 and a 1-year high of $259.01. The company has a 50-day moving average of $244.95 and a 200 day moving average of $225.44. The firm has a market cap of $61.62 billion, a PE ratio of 54.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. The company’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on HLT. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $243.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Evercore ISI lifted 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 note on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $232.65.

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.