Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Stake Trimmed by Achmea Investment Management B.V.

Achmea Investment Management B.V. reduced its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,051 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,601 shares during the quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $6,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter worth about $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the sale, the insider now owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the company’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 sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. This represents a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

HLT stock opened at $222.60 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $253.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $243.55. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $193.86 and a 52-week high of $275.22. The company has a market capitalization of $53.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Twelve 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $250.61.

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.