Russell Investments Group Ltd. Trims Stock Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 34.2% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 167,186 shares of the company’s stock after selling 86,901 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $24,181,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 39.6% in the second quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 14,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,103,000 after purchasing an additional 4,099 shares in the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 27.8% in the second quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 87,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,779,000 after purchasing an additional 19,100 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 69.9% in the first quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 21,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,964,000 after purchasing an additional 8,653 shares in the last quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 31.7% in the second quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,985 shares of the company’s stock worth $871,000 after purchasing an additional 1,440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 1st quarter valued at $95,000. 94.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher W. Silcock sold 10,863 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.61, for a total transaction of $1,809,884.43. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 58,256 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,706,032.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher W. Silcock sold 10,863 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.61, for a total transaction of $1,809,884.43. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 58,256 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,706,032.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Kristin Ann Campbell sold 8,286 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.03, for a total value of $1,276,292.58. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 230,097 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,441,840.91. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of HLT stock opened at $169.22 on Tuesday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $169.41. The business’s 50 day moving average is $153.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.19. The company has a market capitalization of $43.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.20.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 25th. The company reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.67. The company had revenue of $2.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.62 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 115.21% and a net margin of 13.13%. Hilton Worldwide’s quarterly revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 9th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 16th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on HLT. StockNews.com began coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. HSBC started coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $191.00 price objective for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $152.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, August 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 26th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 27th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $162.71.

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 premium economy hotel under the Spark by Hilton brand, as well as Hilton Grand Vacations.