Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. Purchases 2,320 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 3,515.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,386 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,320 shares during the quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc.'s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $590,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of HLT. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 19.6% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,639 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,641,000 after buying an additional 1,089 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,266 shares of the company's stock worth $560,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth about $584,000. Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at about $205,000. Finally, Dale Q Rice Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at about $593,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HLT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Melius downgraded Hilton Worldwide from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $238.24.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT stock traded up $2.85 during trading on Thursday, hitting $246.77. The company had a trading volume of 2,289,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,327,976. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $249.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $231.74. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $181.19 and a one year high of $259.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.30.

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

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

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.