Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. $HLT Shares Acquired by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 10.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,010,313 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 567,651 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Hilton Worldwide were worth $1,559,316,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLT. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 25.6% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,284 shares of the company’s stock worth $520,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 37.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,135 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,396,000 after purchasing an additional 1,669 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 38.8% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 20,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,625,000 after purchasing an additional 5,687 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 112.4% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 5,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,247,000 after purchasing an additional 2,899 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 182.2% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hilton Worldwide news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 114,289 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.47, for a total transaction of $36,283,328.83. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 36,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,570,194.15. This trade represents a 75.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of HLT stock opened at $298.31 on Wednesday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.04 and a 12-month high of $333.86. The business’s 50 day moving average is $304.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $283.43. The company has a market capitalization of $68.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.10.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.99 billion. Hilton Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 40.24% and a net margin of 12.10%.The business’s revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.76 earnings per share. Hilton Worldwide has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.490-8.610 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.910-1.970 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is presently 9.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLT has been the topic of several research reports. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $266.00 to $321.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $312.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $300.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. HSBC raised their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $307.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $304.00 to $322.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $326.18.

Hilton Worldwide Company Profile

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.