InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (NYSE:IHG) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (NYSE:IHG) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the five research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered InterContinental Hotels Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup began coverage on InterContinental Hotels Group in a research note on Monday, February 24th. They issued a “sell” rating on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of InterContinental Hotels Group from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th.

Institutional Trading of InterContinental Hotels Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in InterContinental Hotels Group during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised 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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of InterContinental Hotels Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in InterContinental Hotels Group in the fourth quarter worth $72,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in InterContinental Hotels Group by 419.1% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 571 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 461 shares during the period. 15.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

InterContinental Hotels Group Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:IHG opened at $112.17 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $127.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $120.35. InterContinental Hotels Group has a 12-month low of $91.57 and a 12-month high of $137.25. The firm has a market cap of $17.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.89, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.33.

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 paid a dividend of $1.144 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This represents a yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from InterContinental Hotels Group’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.53. InterContinental Hotels Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.79%.

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.