Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Has $23.17 Million Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio decreased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 100,502 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,660 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $23,166,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 4,118 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $249.99 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $243.08 and a 200-day moving average of $224.29. The company has a market cap of $60.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $172.62 and a one year high of $259.01.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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 $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.24%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 12.88%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on HLT. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Melius Research restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays lowered their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.71.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total transaction of $1,067,423.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,460,933. The trade was a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hilton Worldwide 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.