Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lowered its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 100,502 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,660 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $23,166,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HLT. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 4,118 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.7% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 73,048 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,838,000 after acquiring an additional 2,613 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 93.7% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 21,153 shares of the company's stock worth $4,876,000 after acquiring an additional 10,230 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 7,010 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,616,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,397,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the transaction, the insider now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 15,949 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,460,933. This trade represents a 23.57 % 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

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on HLT shares. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays reduced their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Melius lowered shares of Hilton Worldwide from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $230.59.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE HLT traded up $3.68 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $253.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,164,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,542,975. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $172.62 and a 12-month high of $259.01. The firm has a market cap of $61.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.30. The business's 50 day moving average is $243.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.29.

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 business had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. The business's revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.24%. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.