33,854 Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. $HLT Shares Sold by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. trimmed its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 15.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 184,432 shares of the company’s stock after selling 33,854 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $58,886,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $10,140,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,909,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 2.4% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 200,598 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,290,000 after purchasing an additional 4,700 shares during the period. Nykredit A S bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter valued at $41,279,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth $1,733,669,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.2%

HLT opened at $370.45 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $263.95 and a 12 month high of $381.34. The company has a market cap of $82.43 billion, a PE ratio of 50.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a 50 day moving average of $329.03 and a 200 day moving average of $322.52.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Kevin Jacobs sold 151,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.19, for a total transaction of $53,802,499.50. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 293,758 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,633,662.02. The trade was a 33.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 7,289 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.81, for a total value of $2,258,205.09. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 33,458 shares in the company, valued at $10,365,622.98. This trade represents a 17.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 158,778 shares of company stock worth $56,196,944. 2.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLT has been the topic of several research reports. CICC Research began coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $383.00 to $386.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $363.00 price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Friday, August 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Hilton Worldwide from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $365.08.

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.