Portfolio Design Labs LLC Makes New Investment in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Portfolio Design Labs LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,942 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,370,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,479,354,000 after buying an additional 1,429,537 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 36.9% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,754,647 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,037,464,000 after acquiring an additional 1,282,676 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 66.3% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,127,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $667,148,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246,662 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 33.2% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,234,809 shares of the company's stock worth $745,624,000 after acquiring an additional 806,029 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 23,730.1% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 479,223 shares of the company's stock worth $1,104,610,000 after purchasing an additional 477,212 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a 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. Macquarie raised their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock traded up $0.38 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $250.14. The company had a trading volume of 786,697 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,551,571. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $235.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $219.49. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $165.25 and a 1-year high of $255.86. The company has a market capitalization of $60.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last released its 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. The company had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid 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 is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.88%.

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

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 dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the insider now 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. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

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.