Portfolio Design Labs LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Portfolio Design Labs LLC lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 37.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,158 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,216 shares during the period. Portfolio Design Labs LLC's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,016,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Groupama Asset Managment increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 4,118 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total value of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. This represents a 50.58 % 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.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

HLT traded down $3.56 during trading on Friday, reaching $265.96. 1,698,986 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,501,977. The company has a market cap of $63.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.25, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $252.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $237.68. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $193.43 and a 12-month high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 57.01% and a net margin of 13.74%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is currently 9.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on HLT shares. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Macquarie upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $246.61.

Hilton Worldwide Company 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.