Gladius Capital Management LP Invests $1 Million in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 4,348 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,002,000. Hilton Worldwide makes up 0.1% of Gladius Capital Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HLT. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company's stock worth $2,479,354,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,537 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 36.9% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,754,647 shares of the company's stock worth $1,037,464,000 after acquiring an additional 1,282,676 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 66.3% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,127,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $667,148,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246,662 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,817,770 shares of the company's stock valued at $614,841,000 after acquiring an additional 200,329 shares during the period. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,158,468 shares of the company's stock worth $470,978,000 after purchasing an additional 26,075 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on HLT. Macquarie increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Melius lowered Hilton Worldwide from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of 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. Finally, TD Cowen dropped 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. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of HLT stock traded down $1.48 during trading on Friday, hitting $248.41. The company had a trading volume of 1,851,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,528,117. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $164.93 and a 52 week high of $255.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.30. The stock's 50-day moving average is $233.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $218.62.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 15,949 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,460,933. The trade was a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Company 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.