Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Sold by Prudential Financial Inc.

Prudential Financial Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 66.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 127,990 shares of the company’s stock after selling 249,275 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $31,634,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,479,354,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,537 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 38.8% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 13,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,113,000 after acquiring an additional 3,773 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 146,236 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,707,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 2,795 shares of the company’s stock worth $644,000 after acquiring an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 30,470 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,023,000 after purchasing an additional 3,113 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $254.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 77,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.9 %

HLT opened at $234.69 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $251.84 and its 200-day moving average is $244.76. The stock has a market cap of $56.47 billion, a PE ratio of 38.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $193.86 and a twelve month high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.26%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 9.76%.

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.