Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Sold by Ballast Advisors LLC

Ballast Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 16.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,466 shares of the company’s stock after selling 289 shares during the quarter. Ballast Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $338,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 247.8% in the 1st quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock traded up $11.90 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $247.55. The company had a trading volume of 271,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,549,744. The company’s 50-day moving average is $228.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $216.00. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.82 and a twelve month high of $249.36. The company has a market cap of $60.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.88%.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total transaction of $1,067,423.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,460,933. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,423.09. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on HLT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Macquarie boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide 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.