Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Sold by Guggenheim Capital LLC

Guggenheim Capital LLC reduced its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 67.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,585 shares of the company's stock after selling 17,520 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,122,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at about $694,787,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings 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 worth $2,479,354,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,537 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,898,986 shares of the company's stock worth $1,952,314,000 after purchasing an additional 919,424 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,265,087 shares of the company's stock valued at $806,999,000 after purchasing an additional 685,023 shares during the period. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 2,746.1% during the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 502,077 shares of the company's stock worth $133,487,000 after purchasing an additional 484,436 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on HLT. Raymond James raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Mizuho reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $263.00 target price (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $251.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $243.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

HLT traded up $4.97 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $215.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,181,158 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,729,310. The company's fifty day moving average price is $233.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $243.12. The company has a market capitalization of $51.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.19. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $194.71 and a 52-week high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS 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%. Equities analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.28%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is currently 9.76%.

Hilton Worldwide 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.