Virtu Financial LLC Invests $1.32 Million in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC has made a new investment of approximately $1.32 million in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., acquiring 5,792 shares of the company during the first quarter.
• Hilton Worldwide recently reported earnings of $2.20 per share for the quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenue of $3.14 billion, up 6.3% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, with a dividend yield of 0.2%, reflecting a dividend payout ratio of 9.22%.

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 5,792 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,318,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Fiduciary Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 7,323 shares of the company's stock worth $1,810,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.9% in the first quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,542 shares of the company's stock worth $351,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. First Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 0.5% in the first quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 10,439 shares of the company's stock worth $2,375,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 890 shares of the company's stock worth $220,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 5.8% in the first quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 961 shares of the company's stock worth $219,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company's stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

HLT traded down $1.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $269.32. 727,077 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,024,165. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $264.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $248.80. The firm has a market cap of $63.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.26. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.04 and a 1 year high of $279.46.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.09 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 46.13% and a net margin of 13.84%. Hilton Worldwide's revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.91 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is currently 9.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on HLT. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $276.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $282.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $251.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Macquarie lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $240.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $264.40.

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.