Zions Bancorporation N.A. Decreases Stock Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Zions Bancorporation N.A. lessened its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 8.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 758 shares of the company’s stock after selling 67 shares during the quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $175,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

NYSE HLT opened at $248.41 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $232.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $218.15. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $164.93 and a 1 year high of $255.86. The company has a market cap of $60.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.31, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.30.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.67 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors 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 yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.88%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HLT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Barclays cut their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $230.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $228.71.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 4,919 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.00, for a total value of $1,067,423.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,949 shares in the company, valued at $3,460,933. This represents a 23.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total value of $3,384,375.61. Following 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.