Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Sold by Zions Bancorporation N.A.

Zions Bancorporation N.A. trimmed its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 8.1% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 758 shares of the company’s stock after selling 67 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $175,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at $37,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth about $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,382,423.09. The trade was a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, 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 value of $1,067,423.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, 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. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT opened at $248.41 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $232.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $218.15. The stock has a market cap of $60.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $164.93 and a 1-year high of $255.86.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.67 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HLT. Melius Research reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Melius cut shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Macquarie increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $228.71.

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.