H World Group (NASDAQ:HTHT) Stock Lifted to Buy by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of H World Group (NASDAQ:HTHT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

HTHT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of H World Group in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Weiss Ratings upgraded H World Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, H World Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.20.

H World Group Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ HTHT traded up $0.44 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $50.39. 1,841,804 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,645,342. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $45.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.99. H World Group has a one year low of $39.86 and a one year high of $56.63. The company has a market cap of $15.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.12.

H World Group (NASDAQ:HTHT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 14th. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $998.88 million. H World Group had a net margin of 18.90% and a return on equity of 41.05%. On average, analysts predict that H World Group will post 2.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H World Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th were issued a $0.87 dividend. This is a decrease from H World Group’s previous dividend of $1.30. This represents a yield of 394.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 8th. H World Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.89%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H World Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HTHT. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of H World Group by 16.7% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in H World Group by 54.4% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,430 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas grew its holdings in H World Group by 16.7% during the first quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas now owns 4,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $246,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC grew its holdings in H World Group by 5.8% during the third quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 13,038 shares of the company’s stock worth $558,000 after acquiring an additional 716 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in H World Group by 21.7% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,000 after acquiring an additional 723 shares in the last quarter. 46.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About H World Group

H World Group Limited is a hotel company that develops, operates, franchises and manages hotels. Its business includes both directly operated properties and hotels run by third-party owners under its brands and management or franchise arrangements. The company’s portfolio includes brands serving different market segments, such as HanTing, JI Hotel and Crystal Orange in China, as well as Steigenberger, IntercityHotel and Zleep Hotels through its European operations. Its offerings range from economy and midscale lodging to upscale hotels.