KBC Group NV Grows Position in H World Group Limited Sponsored ADR $HTHT

Key Points

• KBC Group NV significantly increased its stake in H World Group, boosting holdings by 493.2% in the first quarter to 517,397 shares worth about $26.0 million.
• Other institutional investors also adjusted positions, with hedge funds and institutions now owning 46.41% of the stock overall.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leaning positive: HTHT has a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $61.20, even as the stock traded down 3.7% to $40.00.

KBC Group NV grew its holdings in H World Group Limited Sponsored ADR (NASDAQ:HTHT - Free Report) by 493.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 517,397 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 430,176 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned 0.17% of H World Group worth $26,020,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in H World Group by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 237,340 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,390,000 after acquiring an additional 23,372 shares during the last quarter. Aubrey Capital Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of H World Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,946,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of H World Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,438,000. True Light Capital Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of H World Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,602,000. Finally, BOCHK Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of H World Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $659,000. 46.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on HTHT. Wall Street Zen upgraded H World Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Zacks Research downgraded H World Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered H World Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.20.

H World Group Stock Down 3.7%

Shares of NASDAQ HTHT opened at $40.00 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $43.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.45. The company has a market capitalization of $12.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. H World Group Limited Sponsored ADR has a 1 year low of $30.41 and a 1 year high of $56.63.

H World Group Company Profile

H World Group, formerly known as Huazhu Group, is a leading hotel management and franchising company primarily serving the China market. The company operates a broad portfolio of midscale to luxury hotel brands, including Hi Inn, Blossom, Manxin, Madison International, Joya, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure and ibis. Through a network of both directly managed and franchised properties, H World Group caters to business and leisure travelers by offering consistent service standards and loyalty benefits across its brands.

In addition to its core hotel operations, H World Group provides technology-driven hospitality solutions such as centralized reservation systems, revenue management platforms and customer relationship management tools.

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