Metis Global Partners LLC Increases Stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 0.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 10,308 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,376,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,479,354,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,537 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 36.9% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,754,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,037,464,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282,676 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 66.3% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,127,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $667,148,000 after buying an additional 1,246,662 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 10.5% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,044,198 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,715,908,000 after buying an additional 761,104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 23,730.1% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 479,223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,104,610,000 after purchasing an additional 477,212 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on HLT. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective 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. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.71.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,460,933. This trade represents a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, 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 currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT opened at $248.41 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $60.56 billion, a PE ratio of 53.31, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $232.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $218.15. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $164.93 and a twelve month high of $255.86.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.67 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has initiated 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 repurchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Company Profile

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.