InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (NYSE:IHG) Short Interest Up 26.6% in April

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

InterContinental Hotels Group Stock Performance

Shares of IHG traded up $2.32 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $117.66. 144,895 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 236,245. The firm has a market cap of $18.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.34. InterContinental Hotels Group has a 52-week low of $91.57 and a 52-week high of $137.25. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $119.85.

InterContinental Hotels Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This is a boost from InterContinental Hotels Group's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.53. InterContinental Hotels Group's payout ratio is 39.36%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On InterContinental Hotels Group

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its stake in shares of InterContinental Hotels Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 9,674 shares of the company's stock worth $1,209,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of InterContinental Hotels Group by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 3,870 shares of the company's stock worth $483,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in InterContinental Hotels Group by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,245 shares of the company's stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of InterContinental Hotels Group by 4.8% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,092 shares of the company's stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of InterContinental Hotels Group by 67.3% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. 15.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on IHG shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded InterContinental Hotels Group from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of InterContinental Hotels Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of InterContinental Hotels Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on InterContinental Hotels Group in a report on Monday, February 24th. They issued a "sell" rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

InterContinental Hotels Group Company Profile

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.