Park Avenue Securities LLC Acquires 1,089 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 19.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,639 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,641,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 4,118 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth about $38,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of HLT stock traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $246.69. The stock had a trading volume of 1,369,221 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,035,304. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $249.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.14 billion, a PE ratio of 52.94, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $182.86 and a 12 month high of $259.01.

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

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on HLT. Barclays raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $243.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Melius lowered Hilton Worldwide from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Eleven equities 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, Hilton Worldwide currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $238.24.

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.