Everence Capital Management Inc. Trims Stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Everence Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 21.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,230 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,290 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,034,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $765,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,950 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,012,069,000 after purchasing an additional 121,900 shares during the period. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 28,756 shares of the company's stock worth $6,628,000 after purchasing an additional 7,583 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 201.4% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 181,576 shares of the company's stock worth $41,853,000 after purchasing an additional 121,322 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of HLT traded up $1.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $246.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 827,688 shares, compared to its average volume of 974,244. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $248.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $230.14. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $178.23 and a 1-year high of $259.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HLT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $243.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird raised 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $238.24.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

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.