Oak Ridge Investments LLC Takes Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Oak Ridge Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,529 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $625,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 4,118 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLT opened at $246.69 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $60.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $182.86 and a 52-week high of $259.01. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $249.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $232.19.

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

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLT has been the topic of several analyst reports. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $243.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Melius lowered shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $238.24.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.