Townsquare Capital LLC Raises Stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 60.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,289 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,376 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,450,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,215,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,585,148,000 after purchasing an additional 226,223 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% during the 3rd 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 increased its position in Hilton Worldwide by 36.9% during 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 purchasing an additional 1,282,676 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 33.2% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,234,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $745,624,000 after acquiring an additional 806,029 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 7.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,817,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $614,841,000 after buying an additional 200,329 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of HLT stock opened at $253.44 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $240.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $222.23. The company has a market cap of $61.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.39, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.30. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $165.25 and a 52 week high of $255.86.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.07. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 10.70%. The firm had revenue of $2.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 12.88%.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HLT has been the subject of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Melius downgraded shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $228.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,423.09. The trade was a 38.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at $3,460,933. This trade represents a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Hilton Worldwide

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.