Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Position Boosted by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 426.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 762,261 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 617,604 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.31% of Hilton Worldwide worth $188,400,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth $694,787,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,756,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,479,354,000 after buying an additional 1,429,537 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,898,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,952,314,000 after buying an additional 919,424 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,265,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $806,999,000 after acquiring an additional 685,023 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2,746.1% in the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 502,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $133,487,000 after acquiring an additional 484,436 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on HLT. Barclays upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $270.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Macquarie increased their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, 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. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $248.88.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE:HLT opened at $211.33 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $239.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $243.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.64 billion, a PE ratio of 34.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.19. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $193.86 and a 12-month high of $275.22.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 13.74%. On average, research analysts expect that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.28%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the sale, the insider now owns 77,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

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.