Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 104,802 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. has increased its stake in Hilton Worldwide, owning 25,115,086 shares valued at approximately $5.71 billion, representing 10.57% of the company.
• The stock recently received upgraded ratings from several analysts, including a price target increase from $276.00 to $278.00 by Robert W. Baird, indicating a positive outlook for Hilton Worldwide.
• Hilton Worldwide announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, translating to an annualized yield of 0.2%, with a payout ratio of 9.22%.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 0.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,115,086 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 104,802 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.57% of Hilton Worldwide worth $5,714,938,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sowell Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the first quarter valued at approximately $314,000. Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its position in Hilton Worldwide by 3.9% during the first quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 163,281 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,155,000 after acquiring an additional 6,146 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 364,307 shares during the last quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the first quarter valued at approximately $316,000. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hilton Worldwide during the first quarter valued at approximately $217,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on HLT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $282.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $251.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Dbs Bank upgraded Hilton Worldwide from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $223.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $264.40.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of HLT traded up $1.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $262.47. The company had a trading volume of 1,957,942 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,888,753. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $262.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $248.26. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.04 and a 52 week high of $279.46. The company has a market capitalization of $61.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.26.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.91 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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%.

Hilton Worldwide Company 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.