Highland Capital Management LLC Has $5.71 Million Stock Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Highland Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 31,363 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $5,711,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Bartlett & Co. LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Clear Street Markets LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 115.4% during the 1st quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 224 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 21,489 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.68, for a total transaction of $4,204,967.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,536,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $496,338,015.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of HLT stock opened at $214.34 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $54.05 billion, a PE ratio of 49.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $199.10 and a 200-day moving average of $176.34. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $131.64 and a one year high of $215.14.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.11. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 94.46% and a net margin of 11.15%. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.59 EPS. Hilton Worldwide’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.28%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 13.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on HLT shares. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $190.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Barclays boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Macquarie boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $197.78.

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.