Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Has $2.81 Million Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd decreased its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 46.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,371 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,782 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,810,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HLT. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $8,478,000. MONECO Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC now owns 979 shares of the company’s stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,594 shares of the company’s stock worth $394,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. TCW Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth about $8,453,000. Finally, Fisher Funds Management LTD bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth about $4,412,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 0.3 %

HLT stock opened at $258.77 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.26 billion, a PE ratio of 42.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $193.86 and a twelve month high of $275.22. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $253.51 and its 200-day moving average is $240.50.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate 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 authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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 yield of 0.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 9.76%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on HLT shares. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and set a $263.00 target price (up previously from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $246.61.

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.