Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Insider Kevin Jacobs Sells 151,050 Shares of Company Stock

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) insider Kevin Jacobs sold 151,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.19, for a total transaction of $53,802,499.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 293,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $104,633,662.02. The trade was a 33.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:HLT opened at $356.92 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $325.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $320.76. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $253.54 and a 12-month high of $364.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.10.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. The firm 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.11 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Hilton Worldwide

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Profund Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 3,058 shares of the company’s stock valued at $973,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Range Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Range Advisory LLC now owns 860 shares of the company’s stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 1,776 shares of the company’s stock worth $587,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. grew its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 29.7% in the third quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co grew its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.1% in the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 3,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,176,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Hilton Worldwide

Here are the key news stories impacting Hilton Worldwide this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded Hilton to “outperform” from “neutral” and lifted its price target to $421 from $329, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The upgrade reflects increased confidence in Hilton’s earnings and growth outlook. Mizuho upgrade article
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs maintained a Buy rating on HLT, while Susquehanna, Wells Fargo and Robert W. Baird issued favorable outlooks or increased their price targets. The cluster of supportive recommendations may reinforce the bullish sentiment surrounding the stock. Goldman Sachs coverage Susquehanna forecast Wells Fargo price target Baird outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary on consumer-cyclical companies, including Hilton, adds visibility but does not introduce a major new operating catalyst. Hilton’s latest reported quarter showed earnings above consensus and year-over-year revenue growth, supporting the favorable analyst tone. Consumer cyclical analyst commentary
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays lowered its expectations for Hilton’s stock price, creating a counterpoint to the broader analyst optimism and potentially limiting near-term gains. Barclays Hilton outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Chief financial officer Kevin Jacobs sold 151,050 HLT shares for approximately $53.8 million, reducing his holdings by 33.96%. Although insider sales can be planned for personal or diversification reasons, the transaction may weigh on sentiment because it occurred while the stock was near record highs. SEC insider sale filing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HLT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $360.00 to $362.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday. Mizuho raised Hilton Worldwide from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $329.00 to $421.00 in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $383.00 to $386.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore upgraded Hilton Worldwide from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $363.57.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc is a global hospitality company that develops, owns, manages, franchises and licenses hotels, resorts and other lodging properties. Its portfolio includes brands such as Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites, Hampton by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Home2 Suites and Tru by Hilton.

The company provides accommodations and related services for business and leisure travelers, including guest rooms, meeting and event facilities, food and beverage operations, resort amenities and loyalty program benefits through Hilton Honors.