Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Short Interest Up 19.6% in February

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 6,069,617 shares, a growth of 19.6% from the February 12th total of 5,075,097 shares. Approximately 2.7% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,718,023 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,718,023 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days. Approximately 2.7% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 114,289 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 36,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $803,047,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,100,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,620,531,000 after buying an additional 1,132,880 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings 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 worth $212,998,000 after buying an additional 758,930 shares in the last quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Hilton Worldwide by 62.6% in the 2nd quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC now owns 1,894,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $504,532,000 after buying an additional 729,295 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 126.3% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,138,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $303,173,000 after buying an additional 635,220 shares during the period. 95.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLT has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $339.00 price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $304.00 to $322.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a report on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $299.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Hilton Worldwide from $312.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. One 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. According to MarketBeat, Hilton Worldwide currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $326.18.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of HLT traded up $5.74 on Tuesday, hitting $301.74. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,872,917 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,933,475. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $304.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $284.15. Hilton Worldwide has a fifty-two week low of $196.04 and a fifty-two week high of $333.86. The company has a market capitalization of $69.19 billion, a PE ratio of 49.30, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.10.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.76 EPS. 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, equities analysts forecast that Hilton Worldwide will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

Hilton Worldwide Announces Dividend

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