Cornerstone Advisors LLC Has $3.09 Million Stock Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Cornerstone Advisors LLC grew its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,400 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Cornerstone Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $3,089,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HLT. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the second quarter worth $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of HLT stock opened at $252.03 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $165.25 and a twelve month high of $255.86. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $236.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $219.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on HLT shares. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Melius cut shares of Hilton Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $185.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $228.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

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