Crestwood Advisors Group LLC Boosts Stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Crestwood Advisors Group LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 270,539 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,348 shares during the quarter. Hilton Worldwide comprises 1.3% of Crestwood Advisors Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC owned about 0.11% of Hilton Worldwide worth $66,866,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Groupama Asset Managment increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% in the third 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 period. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,746,152.78. This trade represents a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 3.2 %

NYSE:HLT opened at $259.31 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $62.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. The company’s 50-day moving average is $253.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.12. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $193.86 and a 12-month high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board 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 buy up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.23%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently 9.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on HLT. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Macquarie lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and set a $263.00 price objective (up previously from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $246.61.

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.