Portfolio Design Labs LLC Invests $1.37 Million in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Portfolio Design Labs LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,942 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,370,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth about $37,000. Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:HLT opened at $249.76 on Wednesday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $165.25 and a 12-month high of $255.86. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $235.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $219.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 is currently 12.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,460,933. This represents a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on HLT shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Melius Research reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.