Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Purchases 992 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 50.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,940 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 992 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $678,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% during the third 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 last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 36.9% in 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 during the period. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 66.3% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,127,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $667,148,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246,662 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 7.7% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,817,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $614,841,000 after purchasing an additional 200,329 shares during the period. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.2% in the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,158,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,978,000 after purchasing an additional 26,075 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on HLT shares. Melius lowered shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Melius Research reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $245.00 target price for the company. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.71.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $249.76 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $235.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $219.49. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $165.25 and a fifty-two week high of $255.86. The firm has a market cap of $60.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.24%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.88%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,949 shares in the company, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the firm’s 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. This trade represents a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

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.