Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Stake Lessened by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV trimmed its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 15.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 51,058 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,478 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $11,769,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company's stock worth $2,479,354,000 after buying an additional 1,429,537 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 36.9% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,754,647 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,037,464,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282,676 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 66.3% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,127,600 shares of the company's stock worth $667,148,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246,662 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 7.7% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,817,770 shares of the company's stock worth $614,841,000 after buying an additional 200,329 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.2% in the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,158,468 shares of the company's stock worth $470,978,000 after buying an additional 26,075 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 0.6 %

Hilton Worldwide stock traded down $1.48 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $248.41. 1,851,700 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,528,117. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $233.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $218.62. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $164.93 and a twelve month high of $255.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.56 billion, a PE ratio of 53.31, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,460,933. The trade was a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. The trade was a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $245.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Macquarie raised their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $228.71.

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.