Cozad Asset Management Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Key Points

• Cozad Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. by 25.4%, selling 3,580 shares and holding a total of 10,510 shares valued at approximately $2.39 million.
• Hilton Worldwide's shares opened at $270.51, with a market capitalization of $63.62 billion, and it reported a quarterly revenue of $3.14 billion, showing a 6.3% year-over-year increase.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, with a dividend yield of 0.22% and a low payout ratio of 9.22%.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 25.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,510 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,580 shares during the quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,392,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of HLT. ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 78.7% during the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 168 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 76.0% in the first quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 176 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 244.8% in the first quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 127.1% in the fourth quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 218 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 1st quarter worth approximately $54,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLT traded down $7.26 during trading on Friday, hitting $260.82. 1,257,324 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,065,752. The company has a market cap of $61.34 billion, a PE ratio of 40.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $261.05 and a 200 day moving average of $247.63. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.04 and a 52-week high of $279.46.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.09 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 46.13% and a net margin of 13.84%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.91 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on HLT. Barclays dropped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $296.00 to $291.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $245.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $223.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $235.00 price target (down previously from $296.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $259.19.

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.