Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Trims Position in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System cut its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 12,790 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,248 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $3,161,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC grew its stake 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. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $799,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 1,798 shares of the company’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Angeles Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,422 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilton Worldwide 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 value of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of HLT opened at $231.75 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $193.86 and a 52-week high of $275.22. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $252.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $244.02. The company has a market capitalization of $55.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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, equities analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on HLT shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 price objective (up from $243.00) on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $237.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $247.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $252.71.

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.