Brown Advisory Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Brown Advisory Inc. lessened its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 15.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,269,653 shares of the company’s stock after selling 232,870 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $313,807,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 81.9% during the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 319,734 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,025,000 after purchasing an additional 11,439 shares in the last quarter. Benchstone Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at $20,461,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 2,933 shares of the company’s stock worth $725,000 after purchasing an additional 426 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alteri Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth $504,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 value of $10,928,745.99. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $241.11 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $227.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $242.52. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $194.93 and a fifty-two week high of $275.22. The company has a market cap of $57.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.23.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.11. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. The company had revenue of $2.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.53 EPS. Hilton Worldwide’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is presently 9.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on HLT shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $277.00 to $228.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $242.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Susquehanna upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $241.31.

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.