Stifel Financial Corp Increases Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 23.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 99,297 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,835 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $22,889,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth about $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $37,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company's stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 3.3 %

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock traded down $8.47 during trading on Monday, hitting $249.99. 2,133,263 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,544,570. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $172.62 and a fifty-two week high of $259.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $242.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.94.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The firm 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. Analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.24%. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 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. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Melius cut Hilton Worldwide from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $228.71.

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.