Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Raises Stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 50.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,165 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,401 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,305,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HLT. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 7.9% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 1,473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 1,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 22.9% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 3,422 shares of the company’s stock worth $519,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 6,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $932,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 1st quarter valued at about $91,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 21,489 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.68, for a total transaction of $4,204,967.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,536,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $496,338,015.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLT opened at $205.10 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $51.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $204.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $181.55. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $134.43 and a 1-year high of $215.79.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.61 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 94.46% and a net margin of 11.15%. The business’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.59 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.29%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 13.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $203.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $157.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $196.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $200.00 to $204.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $201.28.

Hilton Worldwide 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.