Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Invests $765,000 in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,320 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $765,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter worth about $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% during the third 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. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company's stock.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

NYSE:HLT traded up $0.27 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $253.03. The stock had a trading volume of 1,170,791 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,537,145. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $244.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $225.82. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $176.88 and a 12 month high of $259.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.68 billion, a PE ratio of 54.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The business 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%. Hilton Worldwide's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's board believes its shares are 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 given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction 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 owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. The trade was a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on HLT. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Melius Research reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $232.65.

Hilton Worldwide 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.