B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Buys New Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 20,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,761,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth approximately $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at $3,460,933. This trade represents a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on HLT. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of HLT stock traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $250.14. The stock had a trading volume of 786,697 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,551,571. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $235.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $219.71. The firm has a market cap of $60.98 billion, a PE ratio of 53.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $165.25 and a one year high of $255.86.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.67 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is 12.88%.

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.