Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Holdings Raised by Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,707 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 418 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $669,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $468,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,946,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Graypoint LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 1,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. This trade represents a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on HLT. Melius Research restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Mizuho raised their target price 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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 research note on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $238.24.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

NYSE:HLT opened at $253.71 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $249.28 and a 200-day moving average of $233.65. The company has a market capitalization of $61.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.45, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $186.83 and a 52 week high of $259.01.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.