Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Acquired by Groupama Asset Managment

Groupama Asset Managment raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 37.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,025 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,118 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $35,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $37,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company's stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLT traded up $3.68 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $253.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,164,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,542,975. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $172.62 and a 12-month high of $259.01. The company has a market cap of $61.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.30. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $243.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $224.29.

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

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total transaction of $1,067,423.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,460,933. This trade represents a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HLT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. 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 report on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Melius Research restated a "hold" rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $230.59.

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.