ING Groep NV Raises Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

ING Groep NV grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 160.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,446 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 30,489 shares during the period. ING Groep NV's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $12,221,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Bank & Trust raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 10,391 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,568,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,232 shares of the company's stock valued at $799,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Advyzon Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $329,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 91,350 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,578,000 after purchasing an additional 8,449 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 20,182 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of HLT stock traded down $8.51 during mid-day 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 firm has a market capitalization of $62.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. The firm's 50-day moving average is $253.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $239.87.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has authorized 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 repurchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on HLT shares. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $246.61.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. This represents a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 value of $10,928,745.99. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % 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.

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.