Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Sold by Mutual of America Capital Management LLC

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 36,218 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,406 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $8,952,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HLT. Fielder Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Verus Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 23.4% during the fourth quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 54,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,541,000 after acquiring an additional 760 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth $64,142,000. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 1,417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised 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. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $263.00 price target (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $249.24.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. This trade represents a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLT opened at $265.19 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $254.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $241.79. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $193.86 and a 1 year high of $275.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.23%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.76%.

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

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.