Entropy Technologies LP Buys Shares of 14,884 Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 14,884 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,679,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 4,118 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Melius Research restated a "hold" rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $246.61.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly 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. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT stock traded up $4.35 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $273.47. The company had a trading volume of 1,841,713 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,519,056. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $251.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $236.86. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $186.83 and a one year high of $274.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 57.01% and a net margin of 13.74%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.22%. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is 9.76%.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase 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 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.