Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Lowers Stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System reduced its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,790 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,248 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $3,161,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,479,354,000 after buying an additional 1,429,537 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at approximately $226,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.8% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,722 shares of the company’s stock valued at $858,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank purchased a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the third quarter valued at approximately $213,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 133.9% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 4,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,011,000 after purchasing an additional 2,512 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Macquarie boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $252.71.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE HLT opened at $231.75 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $252.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $244.02. The stock has a market cap of $55.76 billion, a PE ratio of 37.68, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $193.86 and a 12 month high of $275.22.

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

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $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 currently 9.76%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

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.