Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Has $3 Million Stock Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lowered its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,128 shares of the company’s stock after selling 870 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,998,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $468,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 0.5% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,443 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,946,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 4.1% during the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Graypoint LLC raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 1,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 4.2% during the third quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $273,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $247.77 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $60.40 billion, a PE ratio of 53.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $249.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $232.75. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $186.83 and a 12 month high of $259.01.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. Hilton Worldwide’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.67 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on HLT. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $243.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $238.24.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,746,152.78. This represents a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

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.