Hartford Investment Management Co. Trims Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Hartford Investment Management Co. lessened its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 2.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,692 shares of the company’s stock after selling 378 shares during the quarter. Hartford Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $3,343,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 78.7% during the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 76.0% during the 1st quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 176 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 244.8% during the 1st quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 127.1% during the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 218 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the 1st quarter worth $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

NYSE:HLT opened at $260.79 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $261.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $247.74. The stock has a market cap of $61.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.06, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.26. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.04 and a 1-year high of $279.46.

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

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders 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 presently 9.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on HLT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, June 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $282.00 price objective for the company. Dbs Bank upgraded Hilton Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Hilton Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $228.00 to $296.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $275.00 to $245.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $276.00 to $278.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.19.

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.