Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Bought by Morse Asset Management Inc

Morse Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,675 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $617,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in 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 0.2 %

NYSE HLT opened at $251.02 on Wednesday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $166.92 and a 1 year high of $255.86. The company has a market cap of $61.19 billion, a PE ratio of 53.87, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.30. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $241.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $222.87.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.07. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. The business 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 business earned $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.88%.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Melius lowered Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target 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. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,460,933. The trade was a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Company 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.