Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 10,391,135 shares of the company’s stock after selling 365,281 shares during the quarter. Hilton Worldwide accounts for about 1.4% of Principal Financial Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $2,568,273,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,134 shares of the company’s stock worth $528,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the company’s stock worth $468,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,443 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,946,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 1,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total value of $10,928,745.99. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 77,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. The trade was a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $5,880,287.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HLT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Macquarie raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Raymond James raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $246.61.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLT opened at $265.96 on Monday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $193.43 and a fifty-two week high of $275.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.84 billion, a PE ratio of 43.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.29. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $252.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $237.81.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 57.01% and a net margin of 13.74%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, November 14th that allows the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.76%.

Hilton Worldwide 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.