Fifth Third Bancorp Buys 272 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,081 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,986,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of HLT. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter worth $765,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,012,069,000 after buying an additional 121,900 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,246,000. Finally, Chartwell Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 35.8% during the third quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 28,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,628,000 after buying an additional 7,583 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. This trade represents a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT stock opened at $249.73 on Tuesday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $186.83 and a 52-week high of $259.01. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $249.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.42. The company has a market capitalization of $60.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.59, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HLT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target 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. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $238.24.

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.