Crestwood Advisors Group LLC Grows Stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Crestwood Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 270,539 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,348 shares during the quarter. Hilton Worldwide accounts for approximately 1.3% of Crestwood Advisors Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $66,866,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 7.2% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $820,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 22,858 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,357,000 after buying an additional 1,223 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 56,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,954,000 after buying an additional 5,500 shares during the period. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.4% during the third quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 3,126 shares of the company’s stock worth $721,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 3.2 %

NYSE:HLT opened at $259.31 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.39 billion, a PE ratio of 42.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $253.40 and a 200-day moving average of $240.12. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $193.86 and a 52 week high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. As a group, analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.23%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.76%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Macquarie lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 target price (up previously from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $246.61.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.