H World Group Limited (NASDAQ:HTHT) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

H World Group Limited (NASDAQ:HTHT) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totalling 9,460,000 shares, a decline of 6.2% from the June 15th total of 10,090,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,600,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.9 days.

H World Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HTHT traded up $0.58 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $31.93. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 115,378 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,795,692. H World Group has a one year low of $30.20 and a one year high of $48.84. The company has a market cap of $10.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $35.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

H World Group (NASDAQ:HTHT) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 17th. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $731.00 million during the quarter. H World Group had a return on equity of 28.59% and a net margin of 16.47%. On average, equities research analysts expect that H World Group will post 1.88 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on HTHT shares. CLSA initiated coverage on H World Group in a report on Friday, April 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $47.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on H World Group from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st. Macquarie assumed coverage on H World Group in a research note on Friday, April 19th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $64.00 price target on shares of H World Group in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, H World Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H World Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of H World Group by 192.4% in the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 5,689,620 shares of the company’s stock valued at $220,188,000 after purchasing an additional 3,744,106 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in H World Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,460,000. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its position in H World Group by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 16,389,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,080,000 after buying an additional 1,039,888 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of H World Group by 80.5% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,500,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,067,000 after buying an additional 669,200 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Inc. CA grew its holdings in shares of H World Group by 57.7% during the 1st quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 1,803,048 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,778,000 after acquiring an additional 659,914 shares in the last quarter. 46.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

H World Group Company Profile

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.