Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd Sells 11,016 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd lessened its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 61.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,008 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,016 shares during the quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,615,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth about $37,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on HLT. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Mizuho upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Macquarie lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Melius Research reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.71.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,460,933. This trade represents a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide 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 transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT opened at $250.42 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $239.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $221.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $165.25 and a 1-year high of $255.86.

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

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.88%.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has approved a share 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 reacquire up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Company 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.