184 Shares in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Acquired by OFI Invest Asset Management

OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,479,354,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,537 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 67.1% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 53,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,368,000 after buying an additional 21,545 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 35.8% during the third quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 28,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,628,000 after buying an additional 7,583 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 59.9% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, 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 transaction, the insider now owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % 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 Performance

Shares of HLT stock opened at $238.82 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $254.85 and its 200-day moving average is $243.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.46 billion, a PE ratio of 38.83, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $193.86 and a 52 week high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. As a group, 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 authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is 9.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on HLT shares. Susquehanna upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Finally, Raymond James upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $250.61.

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.