Vanguard Group Inc. Lowers Stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 25,010,284 shares of the company's stock after selling 89,014 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.26% of Hilton Worldwide worth $6,181,542,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HLT. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 4,118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

NYSE:HLT traded up $2.13 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $234.69. 1,882,893 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,530,122. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $193.86 and a 1 year high of $275.22. The company has a market cap of $56.47 billion, a PE ratio of 38.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $252.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $244.61.

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Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is presently 9.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HLT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. 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 report on Monday, February 10th. Macquarie lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $254.53.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total value of $10,928,745.99. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

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.