Franklin Resources Inc. Buys 121,900 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 3.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,090,950 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 121,900 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 1.68% of Hilton Worldwide worth $1,012,069,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,479,354,000 after buying an additional 1,429,537 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 36.9% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,754,647 shares of the company's stock worth $1,037,464,000 after acquiring an additional 1,282,676 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 33.2% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,234,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $745,624,000 after buying an additional 806,029 shares during the last quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 63.6% during the third quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,544,399 shares of the company's stock worth $355,984,000 after acquiring an additional 600,593 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 23,730.1% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 479,223 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,104,610,000 after buying an additional 477,212 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 14,357 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.73, for a total transaction of $3,384,375.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,423.09. This represents a 38.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock traded down $3.14 on Friday, reaching $252.76. 1,160,699 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,538,571. The firm has a market cap of $61.62 billion, a PE ratio of 54.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.30. The firm's 50 day moving average is $244.57 and its 200-day moving average is $225.09. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $175.80 and a one year high of $259.01.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HLT shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $232.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Melius Research reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $232.65.

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.