National Bank of Canada FI Raises Stock Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 79.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 132,642 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 58,813 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned about 0.05% of Hilton Worldwide worth $30,574,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HLT. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,006 shares of the company's stock worth $1,310,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares in the last quarter. Cooper Financial Group bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $325,000. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 23.8% during the second quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,088 shares of the company's stock valued at $682,000 after acquiring an additional 594 shares during the last quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth approximately $219,000. Finally, AA Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 4.0% in the second quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,434 shares of the company's stock worth $313,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

HLT traded down $8.47 on Monday, reaching $249.99. The company had a trading volume of 2,133,263 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,544,570. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $172.62 and a 52-week high of $259.01. The company has a market cap of $60.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $243.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $224.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last announced 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.67 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 currently 12.88%.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. 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. Mizuho lifted their target price 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. Melius downgraded shares of Hilton Worldwide from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. 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, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $228.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the firm'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 value of $3,384,375.61. Following the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,460,933. The trade was a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

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.