Park Avenue Securities LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 19.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,639 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,641,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 4,118 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth about $38,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.0 %

HLT opened at $246.69 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $60.14 billion, a PE ratio of 52.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $182.86 and a 1 year high of $259.01. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $249.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.07.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. Hilton Worldwide’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid 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 was Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.88%.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America raised their target price 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. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $238.24.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Hilton Worldwide

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.