Benjamin Edwards Inc. Buys New Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,507 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $578,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% during the third quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the company's stock valued at $468,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,443 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,946,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,169 shares of the company's stock valued at $269,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 1,869 shares of the company's stock worth $431,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.2% in the third quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the company's stock valued at $273,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company's stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock traded up $3.07 on Friday, hitting $258.46. 1,676,939 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,264,235. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $168.29 and a 12-month high of $259.01. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $242.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.94. The company has a market cap of $63.01 billion, a PE ratio of 55.46, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. The business's revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is 12.88%.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on HLT. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius downgraded Hilton Worldwide from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note 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.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $228.71.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,460,933. This represents a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, 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. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.