Canoe Financial LP Acquires 1,769 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Canoe Financial LP raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 44,076 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,769 shares during the quarter. Canoe Financial LP's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $10,894,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Melius Research reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Melius lowered shares of Hilton Worldwide from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $238.24.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT traded up $0.04 during trading on Friday, reaching $246.69. The company had a trading volume of 1,369,221 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,035,304. The company has a market cap of $60.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.94, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $182.86 and a 12 month high of $259.01. The business's fifty day moving average price is $249.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $232.19.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.88%.

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

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.