Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. $HLT Shares Sold by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) by 21.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 816,081 shares of the company’s stock after selling 225,067 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.35% of Hilton Worldwide worth $211,724,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Hilton Worldwide by 0.6% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 12.6% during the third 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% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,595,709 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,555,721,000 after purchasing an additional 86,689 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 2.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,281,842 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,666,246,000 after purchasing an additional 172,121 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,442,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,449,599,000 after purchasing an additional 208,708 shares in the last quarter. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 114,289 shares of the 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 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho increased their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $266.00 to $321.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $300.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $289.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $297.00 to $330.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $304.00 to $322.00 in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $326.32.

More Hilton Worldwide News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hilton Worldwide this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research issued a very bullish FY2028 EPS projection of $12.25 per share (vs. the current consensus ~$7.89), which could support a higher long-term valuation and optimism among growth-focused investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Two firms raised targets this week — one report cites a new $360 price target and another named Sanford C. Bernstein set a $322 target — signaling some analysts see more upside. Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell ~13% in February to ~5.08M shares (≈2.3% of float), reducing potential bearish squeeze pressure and signaling fewer traders are betting against the name.
• Positive Sentiment: Industry commentary highlights Hilton alongside Marriott and Hyatt as driving growth via loyalty, conversions and memberships — supportive for revenue and fee-based growth prospects. 3 Hotel Stocks to Watch
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also tweaked several near-term quarter forecasts — lifting some quarters (e.g., Q2/Q3 2027, Q1 2026) while trimming others — producing a mixed short-term earnings picture that could increase volatility as numbers are repriced.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut FY2026 guidance from $9.04 to $8.77 and trimmed multiple 2026/early‑2027 quarterly estimates (notably Q3/Q4 2026 and Q1 2027), which is a negative near-term earnings signal and likely pressured the share price.
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece argues Hilton’s valuation is stretched after recent highs, which may have prompted some profit-taking among momentum investors. Article Title

Hilton Worldwide Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of HLT opened at $311.30 on Friday. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.04 and a 12-month high of $333.86. The stock has a market cap of $71.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.87, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a 50-day moving average of $302.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $281.76.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.08 EPS 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $1.76 earnings per share. The company’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. As a group, analysts forecast 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 Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. Hilton Worldwide’s payout ratio is 9.80%.

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.