Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 365,281 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,391,135 shares of the company's stock after selling 365,281 shares during the quarter. Hilton Worldwide accounts for approximately 1.4% of Principal Financial Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 4.26% of Hilton Worldwide worth $2,568,273,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,134 shares of the company's stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the company's stock valued at $468,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,443 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,946,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Graypoint LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 1,869 shares of the company's stock valued at $431,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the company's stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HLT traded down $1.61 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $267.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,111,743 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,522,244. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $253.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $239.04. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $193.86 and a one year high of $275.22. The stock has a market cap of $64.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.29.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 54.47%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide's payout ratio is 9.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. This trade represents a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Mizuho reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $263.00 target price (up previously from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $246.61.

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.