Clearbridge Investments LLC Raises Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 22.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,127 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,523 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $7,446,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,479,354,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,537 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,898,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,952,314,000 after purchasing an additional 919,424 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,012,069,000 after purchasing an additional 121,900 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,399,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $840,164,000 after buying an additional 164,461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,265,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $806,999,000 after buying an additional 685,023 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $231.67 on Thursday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $193.86 and a one year high of $275.22. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $249.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $245.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.51 billion, a PE ratio of 37.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29.

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 net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 54.47%. On average, analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.76%.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at $20,802,871.89. This represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on HLT shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Raymond James upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 price target (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective 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. Finally, Macquarie raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $254.53.

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.