Franklin Resources Inc. Boosts Stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 7.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,411,500 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 320,550 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 1.81% of Hilton Worldwide worth $1,090,346,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of HLT. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,479,354,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,537 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 38.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 13,505 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,113,000 after purchasing an additional 3,773 shares during the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 60.7% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 6,289 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,450,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 120.3% during the 3rd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 53,235 shares of the company's stock worth $12,266,000 after buying an additional 29,065 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in Hilton Worldwide by 15.6% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 17,105 shares of the company's stock worth $3,943,000 after buying an additional 2,306 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company's stock.

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Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

NYSE:HLT traded down $0.34 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $227.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,005,593 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,615,047. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $193.86 and a 52-week high of $275.22. The business's 50-day moving average is $250.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $245.30. The company has a market capitalization of $54.44 billion, a PE ratio of 36.95, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29.

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

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on HLT shares. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $258.00 to $251.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $254.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of Hilton Worldwide 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 owns 77,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

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.