Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Sells 800 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System decreased its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 13,100 shares of the company’s stock after selling 800 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $3,238,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 264.6% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 999 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 725 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 33,156 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,642,000 after purchasing an additional 3,078 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 146,236 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,707,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 17,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,132,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 1.4 %

HLT opened at $269.56 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $189.77 and a 12-month high of $275.22. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $251.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $237.12. The company has a market capitalization of $65.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.83, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 57.01% and a net margin of 13.74%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.76 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently 9.76%.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. This trade represents a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total value of $10,928,745.99. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on HLT shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Raymond James boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $263.00 target price (up previously from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Macquarie boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $246.61.

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.