Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Trims Stock Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank reduced its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 25%, selling 56,305 shares, now owning about 169,356 shares valued at approximately $38.5 million.
• Several institutional investors have significantly increased their stakes in Hilton, with GAMMA Investing LLC raising its position by over 23,500%, now owning 1,053,557 shares valued at nearly $2.4 billion.
• Hilton Worldwide recently posted a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.20, exceeding expectations and indicating a year-over-year revenue increase of 6.3% to $3.14 billion.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank trimmed its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT - Free Report) by 25.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 169,356 shares of the company's stock after selling 56,305 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned approximately 0.07% of Hilton Worldwide worth $38,537,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 36.8% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 120,936 shares of the company's stock worth $29,891,000 after purchasing an additional 32,522 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 7,615.7% in the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 5,401 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,335,000 after purchasing an additional 5,331 shares during the last quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $266,000. DnB Asset Management AS lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 42,579 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,524,000 after purchasing an additional 1,418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 30.9% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 728 shares of the company's stock valued at $180,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on HLT shares. 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 on the stock. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $245.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Bank of America increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Hilton Worldwide from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $228.00 to $296.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded Hilton Worldwide from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $259.19.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

HLT stock traded down $4.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $268.66. The company had a trading volume of 702,592 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,060,589. The company has a market capitalization of $63.19 billion, a PE ratio of 41.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $260.62 and a 200 day moving average of $247.45. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.04 and a 12 month high of $279.46.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.09 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 13.84% and a negative return on equity of 46.13%. Hilton Worldwide's revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.91 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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 is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. Hilton Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is presently 9.22%.

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.