Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Acquires 306 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,330 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $4,436,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 66.7% in the first quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 247.8% during the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT stock opened at $224.64 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $214.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $209.97. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $229.03. The company has a market capitalization of $56.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.31.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 69.65% and a net margin of 11.20%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 23rd will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 23rd. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is presently 13.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,460,933. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on HLT. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $228.00 to $224.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Susquehanna assumed coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Friday, June 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Macquarie boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $213.95.

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.