Ieq Capital LLC Grows Stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Ieq Capital LLC boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 329.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,316 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 20,182 shares during the quarter. Ieq Capital LLC's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $6,504,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of HLT. Creative Planning increased its position in Hilton Worldwide by 10.2% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 33,156 shares of the company's stock worth $7,642,000 after buying an additional 3,078 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 17.1% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 129,325 shares of the company's stock worth $29,809,000 after acquiring an additional 18,911 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 16.4% in the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,989 shares of the company's stock worth $1,611,000 after acquiring an additional 983 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 7.2% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,560 shares of the company's stock worth $820,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period. Finally, Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter worth $1,013,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE:HLT traded down $8.51 during trading on Friday, hitting $259.31. The stock had a trading volume of 1,797,425 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,550,284. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $193.86 and a 12 month high of $275.22. The company has a market capitalization of $62.39 billion, a PE ratio of 42.16, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. The firm's fifty day moving average is $253.40 and its 200 day moving average is $239.87.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. Equities research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.23%. Hilton Worldwide's payout ratio is currently 9.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This trade 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 stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. This represents 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 company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Mizuho reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $263.00 price target (up previously from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Macquarie lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $246.61.

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.