Gladius Capital Management LP Acquires New Stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 4,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,002,000. Hilton Worldwide makes up about 0.1% of Gladius Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,479,354,000 after buying an additional 1,429,537 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 36.9% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,754,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,037,464,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282,676 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 66.3% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,127,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $667,148,000 after buying an additional 1,246,662 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 23,730.1% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 479,223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,104,610,000 after buying an additional 477,212 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PineStone Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter valued at $98,607,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT stock opened at $248.41 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $60.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $164.93 and a one year high of $255.86. The company’s 50-day moving average is $233.57 and its 200 day moving average is $218.62.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.87 billion during 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.67 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on HLT. Melius Research reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius downgraded Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Macquarie upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $228.71.

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.