Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 518.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 309 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 259 shares during the quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $56,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Clear Street Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 115.4% during the 1st quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and set a $199.00 price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $157.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, Macquarie increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $201.94.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT stock opened at $194.47 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $134.43 and a 52-week high of $215.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.88 billion, a PE ratio of 44.91, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $205.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $183.05.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.11. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 94.46% and a net margin of 11.15%. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.59 EPS. Hilton Worldwide’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.31%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is presently 13.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 21,489 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.68, for a total value of $4,204,967.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,536,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $496,338,015.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Company 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.