Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Insider Sells $10,928,745.99 in Stock

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE HLT opened at $269.55 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $250.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $235.50. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $186.83 and a 12-month high of $274.18. The stock has a market cap of $65.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.84, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.76%.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on HLT. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 price objective (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $244.06.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

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.