Insider Selling: Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) Insider Sells $53,802,499.50 in Stock

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) insider Kevin Jacobs sold 151,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.19, for a total transaction of $53,802,499.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 293,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $104,633,662.02. The trade was a 33.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT stock traded down $0.01 during trading on Friday, reaching $356.92. 1,623,018 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,905,421. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.42 billion, a PE ratio of 48.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $324.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $320.48. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $253.54 and a 52-week high of $364.50.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.08. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 33.78% and a net margin of 13.40%. The business had revenue of $1.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.11 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HLT. Barclays cut their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $384.00 to $375.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore upgraded Hilton Worldwide from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $365.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, China Intl Cap raised Hilton Worldwide to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $363.57.

Key Hilton Worldwide News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hilton Worldwide this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded Hilton to “outperform” from “neutral” and lifted its price target to $421 from $329, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The upgrade reflects increased confidence in Hilton’s earnings and growth outlook. Mizuho upgrade article
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs maintained a Buy rating on HLT, while Susquehanna, Wells Fargo and Robert W. Baird issued favorable outlooks or increased their price targets. The cluster of supportive recommendations may reinforce the bullish sentiment surrounding the stock. Goldman Sachs coverage Susquehanna forecast Wells Fargo price target Baird outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary on consumer-cyclical companies, including Hilton, adds visibility but does not introduce a major new operating catalyst. Hilton’s latest reported quarter showed earnings above consensus and year-over-year revenue growth, supporting the favorable analyst tone. Consumer cyclical analyst commentary
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays lowered its expectations for Hilton’s stock price, creating a counterpoint to the broader analyst optimism and potentially limiting near-term gains. Barclays Hilton outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Chief financial officer Kevin Jacobs sold 151,050 HLT shares for approximately $53.8 million, reducing his holdings by 33.96%. Although insider sales can be planned for personal or diversification reasons, the transaction may weigh on sentiment because it occurred while the stock was near record highs. SEC insider sale filing

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth $6,271,258,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,946,576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,808,235,000 after buying an additional 40,343 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 13.5% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,043,316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $603,733,000 after buying an additional 242,916 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter worth $663,882,000. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,374,729 shares of the company’s stock worth $454,293,000 after acquiring an additional 36,303 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc is a global hospitality company that develops, owns, manages, franchises and licenses hotels, resorts and other lodging properties. Its portfolio includes brands such as Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites, Hampton by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Home2 Suites and Tru by Hilton.

The company provides accommodations and related services for business and leisure travelers, including guest rooms, meeting and event facilities, food and beverage operations, resort amenities and loyalty program benefits through Hilton Honors.