Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Holdings Lifted by Cornerstone Advisors LLC

Cornerstone Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,400 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Cornerstone Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $3,089,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,479,354,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,537 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 36.9% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,754,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,037,464,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282,676 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in Hilton Worldwide by 33.2% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,234,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $745,624,000 after purchasing an additional 806,029 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 23,730.1% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 479,223 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,104,610,000 after purchasing an additional 477,212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PineStone Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter valued at about $98,607,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on HLT shares. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius Research restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Macquarie raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Melius downgraded Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT opened at $252.03 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $236.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $219.93. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $165.25 and a 52 week high of $255.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at $3,460,933. This trade represents a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.