American Century Companies Inc. Purchases 167,711 Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 20.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,004,664 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 167,711 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $248,313,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Groupama Asset Managment increased its position in Hilton Worldwide by 37.8% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 4,118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

NYSE HLT opened at $228.78 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.04 billion, a PE ratio of 37.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $193.86 and a 1-year high of $275.22. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $252.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $244.08.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 9.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $265.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Mizuho reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $263.00 target price (up previously from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Macquarie increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $254.53.

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.