17,778 Shares in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Acquired by Fisher Funds Management LTD

Fisher Funds Management LTD purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 17,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,412,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 7.2% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $820,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC grew its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.8% during the third quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 22,858 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,357,000 after purchasing an additional 1,223 shares during the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden increased its position in Hilton Worldwide by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 56,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,954,000 after acquiring an additional 5,500 shares during the period. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.4% during the third quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 3,126 shares of the company’s stock worth $721,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was 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 approximately $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total value of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $259.31 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.39 billion, a PE ratio of 42.16, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $253.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $240.12.

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%. Analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on HLT shares. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 price target (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $246.61.

Hilton Worldwide 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.