Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Trims Stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Key Points

• The Maryland State Retirement & Pension System has reduced its stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. by 12.5%, now owning 11,197 shares valued at approximately $2.5 million.
• Hilton Worldwide's most recent earnings report revealed an EPS of $2.20, exceeding expectations, with revenue of $3.14 billion, a 6.3% increase from the previous year.
• Analysts have varied ratings for Hilton shares, with targets ranging from $240 to $296, indicating a general consensus of a Moderate Buy rating.

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lessened its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 12.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 11,197 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,593 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,548,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 0.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,115,086 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,714,938,000 after purchasing an additional 104,802 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 7,225,495 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,786,151,000 after purchasing an additional 142,620 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 8.1% during the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,836,430 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,100,530,000 after purchasing an additional 364,307 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 11.3% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,784,366 shares of the company's stock valued at $861,132,000 after purchasing an additional 385,096 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,411,699 shares of the company's stock valued at $596,076,000 after purchasing an additional 327,267 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company's stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

HLT stock traded up $7.85 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $268.90. 1,408,397 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,040,075. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.04 and a 52-week high of $279.46. The business has a 50 day moving average of $262.84 and a 200-day moving average of $248.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.26.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.16. The business 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.91 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued 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 presently 9.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $223.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $282.00 price objective for the company. Macquarie upped their price objective on 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 upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $264.40.

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.