Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Acquired by Stockbridge Partners LLC

Stockbridge Partners LLC boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 63.6% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,544,399 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 600,593 shares during the quarter. Hilton Worldwide comprises 7.1% of Stockbridge Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Stockbridge Partners LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $355,984,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 23.7% in the first quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,405 shares of the company’s stock valued at $300,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 12.4% in the first quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 21,479 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,582,000 after purchasing an additional 2,364 shares during the period. PGGM Investments acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 1st quarter valued at $701,000. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 129.0% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 33,672 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,183,000 after buying an additional 18,965 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 271.5% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 6,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,335,000 after buying an additional 4,574 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of HLT opened at $250.42 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $61.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $165.25 and a fifty-two week high of $255.86. The business’s 50-day moving average is $239.69 and its 200-day moving average is $221.66.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced 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 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 previous year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.24%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on HLT shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Mizuho upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $228.71.

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.