Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Grows Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 14.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 220,815 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,621 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $50,898,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. PGGM Investments raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 337.6% in the second quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 14,378 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,137,000 after buying an additional 11,092 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 201.4% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 181,576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,853,000 after purchasing an additional 121,322 shares in the last quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 35.8% in the third quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 28,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,628,000 after purchasing an additional 7,583 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 10.9% in the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 321,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,185,000 after purchasing an additional 31,548 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 271.5% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 6,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,335,000 after buying an additional 4,574 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT opened at $250.42 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $239.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $221.66. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.25 and a 1 year high of $255.86. The stock has a market cap of $61.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its 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. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. The business had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.67 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.88%.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on HLT shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $228.71.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total transaction of $1,067,423.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,460,933. This represents a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

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.