Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Purchases 213 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,351 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,323,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 3.3 %

Shares of NYSE HLT opened at $226.86 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $252.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $244.19. The company has a market cap of $54.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $193.86 and a 12-month high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HLT. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 price objective (up previously from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Twelve investment 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.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $250.61.

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.