Oak Ridge Investments LLC Purchases New Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Oak Ridge Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,529 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $625,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,753,000 after buying an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $635,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 1,798 shares of the company’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Canoe Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 44,076 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,894,000 after purchasing an additional 1,769 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $238.24.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. This trade represents a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $246.69 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $249.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.19. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $182.86 and a 52 week high of $259.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.14 billion, a PE ratio of 52.94, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide 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.