Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Acquires 653 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 28.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,974 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 653 shares during the quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $739,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HLT. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Groupama Asset Managment increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 value of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

NYSE HLT opened at $259.81 on Wednesday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $193.86 and a fifty-two week high of $275.22. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $254.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $242.74. The stock has a market cap of $62.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.25, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 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 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. Sell-side analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is presently 9.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on HLT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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. Macquarie raised their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $250.61.

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.