Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Sold by Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board reduced its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 50.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,365 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,366 shares during the quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $776,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 business'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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,382,423.09. The trade was a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 report on Thursday, October 24th. Evercore ISI raised their target price 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. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius Research reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of HLT stock traded up $1.17 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $253.00. 1,290,441 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,548,760. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.25 and a 1 year high of $255.86. The stock has a market cap of $61.68 billion, a PE ratio of 54.36, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.30. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $236.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $219.93.

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

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.