Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Bought by Venturi Wealth Management LLC

Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 591 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $146,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at $765,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,012,069,000 after purchasing an additional 121,900 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth $38,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth $1,246,000. Finally, Dale Q Rice Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter worth $593,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

HLT opened at $259.31 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $253.40 and a 200-day moving average of $239.87. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $193.86 and a 52-week high of $275.22. The company has a market cap of $62.39 billion, a PE ratio of 42.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. On average, research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.23%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 9.76%.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HLT. Barclays boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Raymond James upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Macquarie upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company 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 issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $246.61.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, 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 value of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 77,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 value of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. This trade represents a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.