EULAV Asset Management Sells 1,998 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

EULAV Asset Management lessened its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 12.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,014 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,998 shares during the period. EULAV Asset Management’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $3,230,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on HLT shares. Melius Research restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays decreased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE HLT opened at $249.76 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $60.89 billion, a PE ratio of 53.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $235.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $219.49. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $165.25 and a 52 week high of $255.86.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. Hilton Worldwide’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.24%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 12.88%.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at $3,460,933. This represents a 23.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.