Merit Financial Group LLC Has $1.15 Million Stock Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 65.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,044 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,992 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,148,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 194.8% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,633 shares of the company's stock valued at $651,000 after purchasing an additional 1,740 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 953,938 shares of the company's stock valued at $232,098,000 after purchasing an additional 185,765 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 225,661 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,774,000 after purchasing an additional 4,846 shares during the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at $1,138,000. Finally, NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 16.8% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 7,120 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,760,000 after buying an additional 1,023 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:HLT opened at $253.22 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.04 and a 12 month high of $275.22. The company's 50-day moving average price is $232.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $243.67. The firm has a market cap of $60.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.23.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.11. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.74% and a negative return on equity of 54.47%. The firm had revenue of $2.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.53 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a yield of 0.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is currently 9.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HLT has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $235.00 price target (down previously from $296.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, April 14th. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $251.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $245.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $245.56.

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.

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