Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Purchases 1,384 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 0.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,557,351 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,384 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 0.64% of Hilton Worldwide worth $358,969,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,792,000. PGGM Investments raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 337.6% during the second quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 14,378 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,137,000 after buying an additional 11,092 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 201.4% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 181,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,853,000 after acquiring an additional 121,322 shares in the last quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 28,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,628,000 after purchasing an additional 7,583 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 10.9% in the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 321,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,185,000 after buying an additional 31,548 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on HLT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Macquarie upped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Melius Research restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven investment 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLT opened at $252.93 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $237.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $220.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $165.25 and a 52-week high of $255.86. The company has a market cap of $61.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.28, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently 12.88%.

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.