Citigroup Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. $HLT

Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 22.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 190,255 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,647 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of Hilton Worldwide worth $49,360,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 0.6% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,463,196 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,606,172,000 after buying an additional 151,984 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Hilton Worldwide by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,100,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,620,531,000 after acquiring an additional 1,132,880 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,595,709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,555,721,000 after acquiring an additional 86,689 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,281,842 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,666,246,000 after purchasing an additional 172,121 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 4.0% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,442,662 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,449,599,000 after purchasing an additional 208,708 shares during the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays upped their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $309.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Macquarie Infrastructure increased their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $267.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $338.00 to $373.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Evercore boosted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $325.00 to $335.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.86.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Down 1.4%

HLT opened at $311.53 on Tuesday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.04 and a 52-week high of $333.86. The company has a 50 day moving average of $300.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $280.49. The company has a market cap of $71.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.13.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.06. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 12.10% and a negative return on equity of 40.24%. The business had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.76 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Research analysts anticipate that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Hilton Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.80%.

Insider Activity at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 114,289 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 36,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,570,194.15. The trade was a 75.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

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.