Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC Lowers Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC decreased its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 87.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,285 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,210 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $757,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,006 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,310,000 after buying an additional 453 shares during the last quarter. Cooper Financial Group purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at approximately $325,000. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 23.8% during the second quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,088 shares of the company’s stock worth $682,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at $219,000. Finally, AA Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $313,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on HLT. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock. Melius Research reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Mizuho increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the company’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 value of $1,067,423.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,460,933. This trade represents a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 1.2 %

HLT opened at $258.46 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $63.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $168.29 and a 52 week high of $259.01. The business’s 50 day moving average is $242.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $223.94.

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

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. 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, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.88%.

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

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.