Christopher J. Nassetta Sells 40,653 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Stock

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 77,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

HLT stock traded up $1.58 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $269.06. The company had a trading volume of 2,045,003 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,507,100. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $186.83 and a twelve month high of $274.18. The company has a market cap of $65.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $250.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $236.48.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 57.01%. Sell-side analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Mizuho reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $263.00 price objective (up previously from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Macquarie lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $246.61.

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.