Meitav Investment House Ltd. Sells 6,235 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Meitav Investment House Ltd. reduced its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 74.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,147 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,235 shares during the period. Meitav Investment House Ltd.'s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $531,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 91,350 shares of the company's stock worth $22,578,000 after acquiring an additional 8,449 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 329.0% in the 4th quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 26,316 shares of the company's stock worth $6,504,000 after purchasing an additional 20,182 shares during the period. Private Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,060 shares of the company's stock worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Klingman & Associates LLC grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 1,400 shares of the company's stock worth $346,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 3.2 %

HLT stock traded down $8.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $259.31. The company had a trading volume of 1,797,425 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,550,284. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $253.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $239.87. The company has a market capitalization of $62.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $193.86 and a 12-month high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 54.47%. As a group, analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is 9.76%.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HLT shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Macquarie boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $246.61.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % 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 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.