Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Insider Christopher J. Nassetta Sells 40,653 Shares

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the 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 approximately $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 0.3 %

Hilton Worldwide stock traded down $0.84 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $269.55. The stock had a trading volume of 1,592,928 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,488,279. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $250.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $235.50. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.83 and a 12-month high of $274.18.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. On average, research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows 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 leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth approximately $237,000. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 44.2% during the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 3,680 shares of the company’s stock worth $910,000 after buying an additional 1,128 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at $209,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 32,865 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,123,000 after acquiring an additional 2,395 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 225,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,774,000 after purchasing an additional 4,846 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on HLT shares. Melius Research reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 target price (up previously from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday. 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 report on Friday, December 13th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Melius lowered Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $239.88.

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.