Choate Investment Advisors Grows Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Choate Investment Advisors raised its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 28.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 14,403 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,194 shares during the period. Choate Investment Advisors’ holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $3,560,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. This represents a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT stock opened at $229.61 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $253.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $243.83. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $193.86 and a one year high of $275.22. The firm has a market cap of $55.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 54.47%. As a group, research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently 9.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on HLT shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Macquarie boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $250.61.

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.