Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Sold by Webster Bank N. A.

Webster Bank N. A. reduced its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 22.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 700 shares of the company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. Webster Bank N. A.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $173,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 4,118 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were 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 owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,746,152.78. This represents a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Bank of America upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $238.24.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of HLT stock opened at $249.73 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $249.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.42. The company has a market cap of $60.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.59, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $186.83 and a 12 month high of $259.01.

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

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.