Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Sold by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 32,316 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,870 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $7,987,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in 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. Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 33.2% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,234,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $745,624,000 after purchasing an additional 806,029 shares during the period. Stockbridge Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 63.6% in the third quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,544,399 shares of the company's stock worth $355,984,000 after purchasing an additional 600,593 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 23,730.1% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 479,223 shares of the company's stock worth $1,104,610,000 after acquiring an additional 477,212 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,215,391 shares of the company's stock worth $2,585,148,000 after purchasing an additional 226,223 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $256.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $208.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $246.61.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT traded up $0.88 on Wednesday, reaching $269.75. 1,522,118 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,532,737. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $193.86 and a twelve month high of $275.22. The stock has a market cap of $64.90 billion, a PE ratio of 43.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.29. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $252.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $238.82.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. As a group, research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $3.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value 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. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

About Hilton Worldwide

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.