Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT)

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors bought 41,800 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 2,240% compared to the typical volume of 1,786 call options.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT opened at $211.33 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $239.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $243.89. Hilton Worldwide has a fifty-two week low of $193.86 and a fifty-two week high of $275.22. The company has a market cap of $50.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.19.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. As a group, analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is presently 9.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HLT. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $258.00 to $251.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. Macquarie lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $235.00 target price (down from $296.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $248.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,479,354,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,537 shares in the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 2,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $617,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 97.0% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the period. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $669,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $765,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hilton Worldwide

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.