Candriam S.C.A. Cuts Stock Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Candriam S.C.A. lowered its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 37.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 90,384 shares of the company's stock after selling 54,998 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $22,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of HLT. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company's stock worth $2,479,354,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,537 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 33.2% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,234,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $745,624,000 after acquiring an additional 806,029 shares in the last quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 63.6% during the 3rd quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,544,399 shares of the company's stock valued at $355,984,000 after acquiring an additional 600,593 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $118,729,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $64,142,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. This represents a 50.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on HLT. Macquarie lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Raymond James boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $250.61.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 1.5 %

HLT stock traded down $3.77 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $247.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,219,291 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,522,541. The company has a market cap of $59.51 billion, a PE ratio of 40.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $193.86 and a 12 month high of $275.22. The firm's 50-day moving average is $255.04 and its 200-day moving average is $243.54.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. Analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.24%. Hilton Worldwide's payout ratio is 9.76%.

Hilton Worldwide Company 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.