Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Short Interest Update

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,640,000 shares, an increase of 9.3% from the June 30th total of 3,330,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,670,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days. Currently, 1.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Hilton Worldwide Stock Performance

HLT stock opened at $214.67 on Thursday. Hilton Worldwide has a one year low of $146.00 and a one year high of $229.03. The company has a fifty day moving average of $212.31 and a 200-day moving average of $205.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.68 billion, a PE ratio of 46.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.31.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, Director Melanie Healey bought 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was bought at an average price of $199.65 per share, with a total value of $399,300.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 14,938 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,982,371.70. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilton Worldwide

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 2.1% in the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 9,326,879 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,035,125,000 after buying an additional 190,429 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Hilton Worldwide by 10.5% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,044,198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,715,908,000 after purchasing an additional 761,104 shares during the last quarter. Putnam Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 3,826,023 shares of the company’s stock valued at $696,680,000 after buying an additional 216,219 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its stake in shares of Hilton Worldwide by 66.3% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,127,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $667,148,000 after buying an additional 1,246,662 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Hilton Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at about $475,073,000. 95.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $219.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Susquehanna started coverage on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research report on Friday, June 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $212.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hilton Worldwide currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $209.16.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc, a hospitality company, engages in managing, franchising, owning, and leasing hotels and resorts. It operates through two segments, Management and Franchise, and Ownership. The company engages in the hotel management and licensing of its brands. It operates luxury hotels under the Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts, and Conrad Hotels & Resorts brand; lifestyle hotels under the Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Tempo by Hilton, and Motto by Hilton brand; full service hotels under the Signia by Hilton, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and DoubleTree by Hilton brand; service hotels under the Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, and Tru by Hilton brand; all-suite hotels under the Embassy Suites by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, and Home2 Suites by Hilton brand; and economy hotel under the Spark by Hilton brand, as well as Hilton Grand Vacations.