Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. $HLT Stock Purchased by Kestra Advisory Services LLC

Kestra Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 22.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,235 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,682 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,938,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. Platform Technology Partners purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at approximately $296,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 9.2% in the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 32,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,354,000 after purchasing an additional 2,747 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 7.4% in the third quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 2,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $796,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Caldwell Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 31.9% in the third quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 5,485 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,745,000 after purchasing an additional 1,328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. now owns 40,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,120,000 after purchasing an additional 3,264 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE HLT traded up $0.36 during trading on Friday, hitting $373.09. 1,487,726 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,902,524. The company has a market capitalization of $83.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $335.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $324.48. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $263.95 and a 12-month high of $381.34.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.37 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 33.78% and a net margin of 13.40%. The company’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.11 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 9.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Argus set a $410.00 price target on Hilton Worldwide and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Susquehanna increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Barclays decreased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $384.00 to $375.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, Freedom Broker started coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $359.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $365.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Christopher W. Silcock sold 15,638 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $370.17, for a total transaction of $5,788,718.46. Following the sale, the insider owned 88,257 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,670,093.69. This represents a 15.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 7,289 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.81, for a total transaction of $2,258,205.09. Following the transaction, the insider owned 33,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,365,622.98. This trade represents a 17.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 174,416 shares of company stock worth $61,985,662. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Profile

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. is a global hospitality company that develops, manages, franchises and licenses hotels and resorts. Its portfolio serves a range of travelers, from luxury and leisure guests to business travelers and extended-stay customers. Hilton also operates a vacation ownership business through Hilton Grand Vacations under a long-term brand and licensing relationship. The company’s brands include Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton, Homewood Suites and Hilton Honors, its guest loyalty program.