Trexquant Investment LP Buys New Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 26,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,617,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of HLT. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,429,537 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at about $578,000. Centiva Capital LP acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth approximately $740,000. Investment Management Corp of Ontario increased its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 46.1% in the third quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 8,244 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,900,000 after purchasing an additional 2,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 3.9% in the third quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 2,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $617,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT opened at $217.35 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $249.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $245.02. The company has a market capitalization of $52.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.19. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $193.86 and a 1 year high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 54.47%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.28%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.76%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total value of $10,928,745.99. Following the sale, the insider now owns 77,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HLT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Macquarie lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $254.56.

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.