KBC Group NV Trims Stock Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

KBC Group NV reduced its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 15.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 51,058 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,478 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $11,769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 1st quarter valued at $2,792,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.5% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 137,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,375,000 after acquiring an additional 4,677 shares in the last quarter. PGGM Investments boosted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 337.6% in the second quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 14,378 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,137,000 after acquiring an additional 11,092 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 234.4% during the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 7,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,703,000 after purchasing an additional 5,598 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 201.4% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 181,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,853,000 after purchasing an additional 121,322 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:HLT opened at $248.41 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $60.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.31, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $164.93 and a 12 month high of $255.86. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $233.57 and its 200 day moving average is $218.47.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HLT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Melius cut shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $228.71.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,382,423.09. The trade was a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at $3,460,933. The trade was a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.