Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Insider Sells 15,638 Shares of Company Stock

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) insider Christopher Silcock sold 15,638 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $370.17, for a total value of $5,788,718.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 88,257 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,670,093.69. The trade was a 15.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of HLT stock traded up $6.53 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $379.76. 1,803,943 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,911,057. The firm has a market cap of $84.50 billion, a PE ratio of 51.32, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.08. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $263.95 and a 1 year high of $381.34. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $330.05 and a 200 day moving average of $322.91.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.40% and a negative return on equity of 33.78%. The business had revenue of $1.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.37 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.11 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 9.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday. Freedom Broker assumed coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $359.00 price target for the company. Barclays dropped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $384.00 to $375.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Hilton Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $365.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, TD Cowen raised Hilton Worldwide to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $365.08.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,271,258,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth $1,733,669,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth $663,882,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter valued at $437,227,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter valued at $389,475,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hilton Worldwide

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.