Short Interest in InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (NYSE:IHG) Increases By 26.6%

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (NYSE:IHG - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,380,000 shares, an increase of 26.6% from the March 31st total of 1,090,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 268,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.1 days. Approximately 0.9% of the company's stock are sold short.

InterContinental Hotels Group Price Performance

Shares of IHG stock traded up $2.64 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $113.55. The company had a trading volume of 216,427 shares, compared to its average volume of 190,401. The company has a market cap of $17.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.29. InterContinental Hotels Group has a 12 month low of $91.57 and a 12 month high of $137.25. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $110.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $119.87.

InterContinental Hotels Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be issued a dividend of $1.144 per share. This represents a yield of 1.4%. This is an increase from InterContinental Hotels Group's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. InterContinental Hotels Group's payout ratio is currently 39.36%.

Institutional Trading of InterContinental Hotels Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in InterContinental Hotels Group in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in InterContinental Hotels Group by 100.0% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. grew its stake in InterContinental Hotels Group by 186.3% in the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 272 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of InterContinental Hotels Group by 67.3% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of InterContinental Hotels Group by 48.7% during the 1st quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 348 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 15.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IHG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup began coverage on shares of InterContinental Hotels Group in a research report on Monday, February 24th. They set a "sell" rating on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised InterContinental Hotels Group from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of InterContinental Hotels Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of InterContinental Hotels Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold".

About InterContinental Hotels Group

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC owns, manages, franchises, and leases hotels in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Greater China. The company operates hotels under the Six Senses, Regent, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Vignette Collection, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo, voco, HUALUXE, Crowne Plaza, Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, EVEN, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn, Garner, avid hotels, Atwell Suites, Staybridge Suites, Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and Candlewood Suites brand names.

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