Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 21,262 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. $HLT

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. cut its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 4.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 469,173 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,262 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $149,253,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth $10,140,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,909,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 200,598 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,290,000 after buying an additional 4,700 shares during the period. Nykredit A S bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $41,279,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,733,669,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Hilton Worldwide

Here are the key news stories impacting Hilton Worldwide this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded Hilton to “outperform” from “neutral” and lifted its price target to $421 from $329, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The upgrade reflects increased confidence in Hilton’s earnings and growth outlook. Mizuho upgrade article
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs maintained a Buy rating on HLT, while Susquehanna, Wells Fargo and Robert W. Baird issued favorable outlooks or increased their price targets. The cluster of supportive recommendations may reinforce the bullish sentiment surrounding the stock. Goldman Sachs coverage Susquehanna forecast Wells Fargo price target Baird outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary on consumer-cyclical companies, including Hilton, adds visibility but does not introduce a major new operating catalyst. Hilton’s latest reported quarter showed earnings above consensus and year-over-year revenue growth, supporting the favorable analyst tone. Consumer cyclical analyst commentary
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays lowered its expectations for Hilton’s stock price, creating a counterpoint to the broader analyst optimism and potentially limiting near-term gains. Barclays Hilton outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Chief financial officer Kevin Jacobs sold 151,050 HLT shares for approximately $53.8 million, reducing his holdings by 33.96%. Although insider sales can be planned for personal or diversification reasons, the transaction may weigh on sentiment because it occurred while the stock was near record highs. SEC insider sale filing

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

HLT opened at $356.92 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.08. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $253.54 and a 12 month high of $364.50. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $325.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $320.76.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.37 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.40% and a negative return on equity of 33.78%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.11 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 9.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on HLT shares. Barclays reduced their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $384.00 to $375.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $349.00 to $362.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $363.57.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Kevin J. Jacobs sold 151,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.19, for a total value of $53,802,499.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 293,758 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,633,662.02. The trade was a 33.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Laura Fuentes sold 7,289 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.81, for a total value of $2,258,205.09. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 33,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,365,622.98. This trade represents a 17.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 158,778 shares of company stock worth $56,196,944. 2.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Profile

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc is a global hospitality company that develops, owns, manages, franchises and licenses hotels, resorts and other lodging properties. Its portfolio includes brands such as Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites, Hampton by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Home2 Suites and Tru by Hilton.

The company provides accommodations and related services for business and leisure travelers, including guest rooms, meeting and event facilities, food and beverage operations, resort amenities and loyalty program benefits through Hilton Honors.