Citigroup Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Citigroup Inc. lessened its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 32.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 180,402 shares of the company’s stock after selling 87,782 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.07% of Hilton Worldwide worth $41,583,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HLT. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,479,354,000 after buying an additional 1,429,537 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 36.9% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,754,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,037,464,000 after acquiring an additional 1,282,676 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 33.2% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,234,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $745,624,000 after acquiring an additional 806,029 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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 worth $1,104,610,000 after acquiring an additional 477,212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PineStone Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth about $98,607,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $253.00 on Monday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $165.25 and a 12 month high of $255.86. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $237.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $220.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.68 billion, a PE ratio of 54.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.07. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. The firm had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. Hilton Worldwide’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

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 dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.88%.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HLT. Melius lowered Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 15,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,460,933. This represents a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.