Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Acquired by Procyon Advisors LLC

Procyon Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 8.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,222 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 781 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,527,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at $46,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

HLT opened at $246.77 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $60.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.96, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $181.19 and a twelve month high of $259.01. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $249.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $231.74.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS 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 business had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. Hilton Worldwide’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.24%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HLT. Melius lowered shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $238.24.

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.