Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Sold by Zacks Investment Management

Zacks Investment Management lowered its holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 87.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,665 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,556 shares during the quarter. Zacks Investment Management's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $384,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on HLT. Barclays cut 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. Truist Financial upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Melius downgraded 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 issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $230.59.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of HLT stock traded up $3.26 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $256.98. 1,260,756 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,541,794. The company has a market cap of $62.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.30. The company's 50 day moving average is $243.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.65. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $175.80 and a 1 year high of $259.01.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.67 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders 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 0.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.88%.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has approved 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 reacquire up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the 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. This represents a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.