Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) is Pelham Capital Ltd.’s Largest Position

Pelham Capital Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 26.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 118,727 shares of the company’s stock after selling 41,902 shares during the quarter. Hilton Worldwide accounts for 17.2% of Pelham Capital Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Pelham Capital Ltd.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $29,345,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2,400.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Macquarie increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Melius Research reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 price objective (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $244.06.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

NYSE:HLT opened at $269.55 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $250.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $235.85. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $186.83 and a 1-year high of $274.18. The firm has a market cap of $65.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share 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 57.01%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently 9.76%.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. This trade represents a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

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.