PineStone Asset Management Inc. Buys 4,500 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

PineStone Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 528,010 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,500 shares during the period. Hilton Worldwide accounts for approximately 1.2% of PineStone Asset Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. PineStone Asset Management Inc. owned 0.22% of Hilton Worldwide worth $130,503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth about $765,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,950 shares of the company's stock worth $1,012,069,000 after purchasing an additional 121,900 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth about $1,246,000. Finally, Dale Q Rice Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth about $593,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.3 %

Hilton Worldwide stock traded up $0.88 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $269.75. The stock had a trading volume of 1,551,627 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,535,073. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.29. The firm's 50 day moving average is $252.77 and its 200 day moving average is $238.82. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $193.86 and a one year high of $275.22.

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

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. This represents a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 several research analyst reports. TD Cowen lowered their price objective 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Mizuho reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $263.00 target price (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $246.61.

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.