Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Acquired by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,352,243 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 49,506 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.55% of Hilton Worldwide worth $311,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 23.7% during the first quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,405 shares of the company’s stock worth $300,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 12.4% during the 1st quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 21,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,582,000 after purchasing an additional 2,364 shares in the last quarter. PGGM Investments acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 1st quarter valued at $701,000. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 129.0% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 33,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,183,000 after buying an additional 18,965 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 271.5% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 6,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,335,000 after purchasing an additional 4,574 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at $3,460,933. This represents a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $253.44 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $240.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $221.99. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.25 and a 1 year high of $255.86. The company has a market capitalization of $61.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.07. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. The company had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are 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 paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. 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 (DPR) is presently 12.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on HLT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.