Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. $HLT Shares Sold by Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co lowered its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 63,370 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,900 shares during the quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $18,203,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,100,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,620,531,000 after acquiring an additional 1,132,880 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 1,222.9% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 820,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $212,998,000 after acquiring an additional 758,930 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 126.3% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,138,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $303,173,000 after acquiring an additional 635,220 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 6,010,313 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,559,316,000 after acquiring an additional 567,651 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in Hilton Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at $110,693,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on HLT shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $339.00 target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $324.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings raised Hilton Worldwide from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $360.00 to $371.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $350.00 to $363.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $348.59.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

HLT opened at $311.14 on Tuesday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $235.99 and a one year high of $344.75. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $312.05 and its 200-day moving average is $295.21. The company has a market capitalization of $70.83 billion, a PE ratio of 47.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.06.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.03. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 38.21% and a net margin of 12.56%.The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.72 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hilton Worldwide has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.280-8.400 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.180-2.240 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 9.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 9.16%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 114,289 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.47, for a total transaction of $36,283,328.83. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 36,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,570,194.15. The trade was a 75.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc is a global hospitality company that develops, owns, manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and resorts. Its business spans full-service luxury and lifestyle properties, select- and focused-service hotels, and extended-stay accommodations. The company generates revenue through management and franchise fees, owned and leased real estate, and guest services, and supports customer retention and direct bookings through its Hilton Honors guest loyalty program.

Hilton’s brand portfolio includes internationally recognized names across the lodging spectrum, from luxury and upper-upscale brands to midscale and extended-stay offerings.