Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Bought by Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC

Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,959 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 200 shares during the quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,226,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth approximately $56,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT traded up $0.51 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $243.81. 274,810 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 964,295. The company has a market cap of $59.44 billion, a PE ratio of 52.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $249.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $230.88. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $180.62 and a one year high of $259.01.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. Hilton Worldwide’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is 12.88%.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on HLT shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $243.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $238.24.

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.