Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Insider Sells $53,802,499.50 in Stock

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) insider Kevin Jacobs sold 151,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.19, for a total transaction of $53,802,499.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 293,758 shares in the company, valued at $104,633,662.02. This trade represents a 33.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $356.92. 1,623,018 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,905,421. The firm has a market cap of $79.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.23, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $324.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $320.48. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $253.54 and a 52 week high of $364.50.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 33.78% and a net margin of 13.40%. The company had revenue of $1.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.37 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.11 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 8.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HLT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $360.00 to $362.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Hilton Worldwide from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $363.57.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Profund Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 3,058 shares of the company’s stock valued at $973,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Range Advisory LLC boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 4.5% during the second quarter. Range Advisory LLC now owns 860 shares of the company’s stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Nilsine Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.2% in the second quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 1,776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $587,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 29.7% in the third quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.1% in the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 3,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,176,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Hilton Worldwide

Here are the key news stories impacting Hilton Worldwide this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded Hilton to “outperform” from “neutral” and lifted its price target to $421 from $329, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The upgrade reflects increased confidence in Hilton’s earnings and growth outlook. Mizuho upgrade article
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs maintained a Buy rating on HLT, while Susquehanna, Wells Fargo and Robert W. Baird issued favorable outlooks or increased their price targets. The cluster of supportive recommendations may reinforce the bullish sentiment surrounding the stock. Goldman Sachs coverage Susquehanna forecast Wells Fargo price target Baird outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary on consumer-cyclical companies, including Hilton, adds visibility but does not introduce a major new operating catalyst. Hilton’s latest reported quarter showed earnings above consensus and year-over-year revenue growth, supporting the favorable analyst tone. Consumer cyclical analyst commentary
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays lowered its expectations for Hilton’s stock price, creating a counterpoint to the broader analyst optimism and potentially limiting near-term gains. Barclays Hilton outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Chief financial officer Kevin Jacobs sold 151,050 HLT shares for approximately $53.8 million, reducing his holdings by 33.96%. Although insider sales can be planned for personal or diversification reasons, the transaction may weigh on sentiment because it occurred while the stock was near record highs. SEC insider sale filing

Hilton Worldwide Company Profile

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc is a global hospitality company that develops, owns, manages, franchises and licenses hotels, resorts and other lodging properties. Its portfolio includes brands such as Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites, Hampton by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Home2 Suites and Tru by Hilton.

The company provides accommodations and related services for business and leisure travelers, including guest rooms, meeting and event facilities, food and beverage operations, resort amenities and loyalty program benefits through Hilton Honors.