Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. $HLT Shares Sold by Ascent Group LLC

Key Points

• Ascent Group LLC reduced its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 83.7% in the second quarter, selling 10,416 shares to hold only 2,025 shares worth $539,000.
• Analyst ratings for Hilton Worldwide show a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a price target averaging $265.69, reflecting positive sentiment among investment analysts.
• Hilton Worldwide recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15, representing an annualized yield of 0.2%, with a dividend payout ratio of 9.22%.

Ascent Group LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 83.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,025 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,416 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $539,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 1st quarter valued at $353,985,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 30.0% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,140,782 shares of the company's stock valued at $487,135,000 after acquiring an additional 494,224 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the first quarter valued at $97,505,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 30.2% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,720,594 shares of the company's stock worth $391,521,000 after purchasing an additional 398,827 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 11.3% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,784,366 shares of the company's stock worth $861,132,000 after purchasing an additional 385,096 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $261.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $282.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $223.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Macquarie lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $240.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $265.69.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE HLT opened at $260.04 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.94, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.19. The business's 50 day moving average is $268.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $252.85. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.04 and a 12-month high of $279.80.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.91 earnings per share. Hilton Worldwide has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.980-2.040 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.830-8.000 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Christopher W. Silcock sold 11,905 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.40, for a total transaction of $3,207,207.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 79,451 shares of the company's stock, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company's stock.

Hilton Worldwide 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.

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