H World Group (NASDAQ:HTHT) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Shares of H World Group Limited (NASDAQ:HTHT) gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $37.33, but opened at $38.12. H World Group shares last traded at $38.21, with a volume of 459,085 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HTHT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Hsbc Global Res lowered H World Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. HSBC cut H World Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $32.40 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Benchmark cut their price target on shares of H World Group from $53.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, H World Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.68.

H World Group Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $34.89 and a 200-day moving average of $34.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

H World Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a — dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a $0.95 dividend. This is an increase from H World Group’s previous — dividend of $0.34. This represents a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. H World Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 141.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On H World Group

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of H World Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in H World Group by 21.2% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,839 shares of the company’s stock worth $160,000 after buying an additional 845 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in H World Group by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $181,000 after buying an additional 650 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in H World Group in the fourth quarter valued at $196,000. Finally, Mariner LLC boosted its holdings in shares of H World Group by 33.8% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 8,120 shares of the company’s stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 2,050 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 46.41% of the company’s stock.

About H World Group

H World Group Limited develops leased and owned, manachised, and franchised hotels in the People's Republic of China. The company operates hotels under its own brands, such as HanTing Hotel, Ni Hao Hotel, Hi Inn, Elan Hotel, Zleep Hotels, Ibis Hotel, JI Hotel, Orange Hotel, Starway Hotel, Ibis Styles Hotel, CitiGO Hotel, Crystal Orange Hotel, IntercityHotel, Manxin Hotel, Mercure Hotel, Madison Hotel, Novotel Hotel, Joya Hotel, Blossom House, Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts, MAXX by Steigenberger, Jaz in the City, Grand Mercure, Steigenberger Icon, and Song Hotels.