Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. $HLT Holdings Lifted by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

Key Points

• Institutional ownership increased: First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its Hilton Worldwide position by 247.1% in the third quarter, while institutional investors collectively own 95.9% of the stock.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish: Hilton has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $354.39, with recent firms raising targets to as high as $365.
• Shares and operating results showed strength: HLT traded at $342.57, up 4.4%, after quarterly EPS of $2.29 beat estimates; however, insiders recently sold shares and the company’s dividend yield remains modest at 0.2%.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 247.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,543 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,234 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,445,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,271,258,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,733,669,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth $663,882,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth $437,227,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the second quarter worth $389,475,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLT has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $363.00 target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $332.00 to $336.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $359.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $363.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $354.39.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In other news, insider Laura Fuentes sold 7,289 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.81, for a total value of $2,258,205.09. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 33,458 shares in the company, valued at $10,365,622.98. This represents a 17.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Chris Carr sold 439 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.34, for a total transaction of $136,239.26. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,252 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,560,925.68. The trade was a 5.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 4.4%

Shares of Hilton Worldwide stock opened at $342.57 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.10 billion, a PE ratio of 38.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.10. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $253.54 and a twelve month high of $358.00. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $318.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $324.47.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.02. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 35.24% and a net margin of 12.69%. The company had revenue of $1.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.32 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.20 EPS. Hilton Worldwide's revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Hilton Worldwide has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.280-2.340 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.890-9.010 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 9.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Hilton Worldwide's payout ratio is currently 8.81%.

Hilton Worldwide Profile

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc is a global hospitality company that develops, manages, franchises and licenses hotels, resorts and other lodging properties. The company serves business and leisure travelers through a broad portfolio of brands spanning luxury, full-service, focused-service, extended-stay and lifestyle accommodations.

Its brand portfolio includes Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, Motto by Hilton and additional specialty brands.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HLT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.