U S Global Investors Inc. Cuts Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

U S Global Investors Inc. decreased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 25.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,450 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,250 shares during the period. U S Global Investors Inc.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,594,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HLT. Fielder Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth approximately $212,000. Verus Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $294,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 54,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,541,000 after purchasing an additional 760 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at $64,142,000. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 1,417 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT opened at $258.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $62.30 billion, a PE ratio of 42.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $254.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $241.12. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

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

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.23%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.76%.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on HLT shares. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Raymond James lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $263.00 price target (up previously from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $248.56.

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.