Pitcairn Co. Decreases Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Pitcairn Co. decreased its holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 20,917 shares of the company’s stock after selling 463 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $5,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HLT. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 1,429,537 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,898,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,952,314,000 after buying an additional 919,424 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,910,042 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,456,893,000 after buying an additional 67,292 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,411,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,090,346,000 after acquiring an additional 320,550 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,399,270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $840,164,000 after acquiring an additional 164,461 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:HLT opened at $231.67 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $249.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $245.21. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $193.86 and a 12-month high of $275.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.67, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS 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 issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 9.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on HLT. Truist Financial cut their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $258.00 to $251.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Susquehanna upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target 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. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 price objective (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $254.53.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares of the company’s stock, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.