Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Insider Michael W. Duffy Sells 23,366 Shares

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT opened at $250.29 on Wednesday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $176.88 and a fifty-two week high of $259.01. The company has a market capitalization of $61.02 billion, a PE ratio of 53.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $245.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $226.57.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter worth about $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 4,118 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on HLT shares. Melius Research restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius downgraded Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $232.65.

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.