Hilton planning host of corporate manoeuvres

McLean, Virginia

LESS than two years after going public, McLean, Virginia-based Hilton Worldwide Holdings is preparing for its next corporate act.

The giant hotelier is considering a number of business initiatives, including paying a modest dividend to shareholders, repurchasing its stock, and spinning off the 148 hotels it owns and leases around the world.

The company might also create a company for its timeshare business, which is headquartered in Orlando.

"We definitely plan to begin giving back capital in the second half of the year in the form of a dividend," Hilton chief executive Christopher Nassetta said last week.

Mr Nassetta said that the company also plans to consider whether it wants to buy back some of its shares, which are trading in the US$30 range, about 50 per cent higher than what the stock sold for at its initial public offering in December 2013. The shares have risen about 30 per cent in the past 12 months, and buybacks could hel…