Ascent Group LLC Purchases 6,843 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. $HLT

Key Points

• Ascent Group LLC significantly increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 122.2%, acquiring an additional 6,843 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total ownership to 12,441 shares valued at approximately $2.83 million.
• Multiple hedge funds have made recent adjustments to their holdings in Hilton Worldwide, with 95.90% of the company's stock now owned by institutional investors.
• Hilton Worldwide's stock has seen a price target fluctuation among analysts, with a current average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $264.40 according to recent evaluations.

Ascent Group LLC lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 122.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,441 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,843 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,831,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of HLT. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 81.9% in the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,459 shares of the company's stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 657 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 31,659 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,825,000 after acquiring an additional 2,516 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 890 shares of the company's stock worth $220,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 13,493 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,335,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Investment Management Corp of Ontario boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 32.8% during the 4th quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 10,952 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,707,000 after purchasing an additional 2,708 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock traded down $3.12 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $275.10. 703,553 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,347,755. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $271.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $250.34. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $196.04 and a one year high of $279.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.21.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.16. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.84% and a negative return on equity of 46.13%. The company had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.91 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Hilton Worldwide has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.980-2.040 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.830-8.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is 9.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Christopher W. Silcock sold 11,905 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.40, for a total transaction of $3,207,207.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 79,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,404,099.40. The trade was a 13.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $276.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $296.00 to $291.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Macquarie lifted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $240.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $264.40.

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.