IHG Shares Buoyed by Dividend Hike and Robust H1 Results

Shares in InterContinental Hotels Group (LON:IHG) climbed more than 6% at the open on Thursday, hitting their highest level since March, after the company reported strong first-half results and raised its interim dividend by 10%.

IHG posted a 13% increase in operating profit from reportable segments to $604 million and a 19% rise in adjusted earnings per share to 242.5 cents. Revenue climbed 6% to $1.175 billion. IFRS operating profit climbed 19% to $623 million, while basic earnings per share jumped 41%.

The interim dividend was raised to 58.6 cents per share, and the company reaffirmed its intention to return more than $1.1 billion to shareholders this year through dividends and a $900 million share buyback programme, 47% of which had been completed by the end of June.

“Our momentum continued in the first half of 2025,” said Chief Executive Elie Maalouf, citing “adjusted EPS growth of +19%” and a record number of hotel openings.

IHG opened 207 hotels in the first half, representing 31,400 rooms, a 75% year-on-year increase. The group also signed 324 hotels into its pipeline and has since surpassed one million open rooms globally.

Revenue from the company’s fee-based business grew 7% to $908 million, with global RevPAR up 1.8%, led by a 4.1% rise in the EMEAA region.

Despite a 21% increase in net debt to $3.4 billion, IHG reported adjusted free cash flow of $302 million, more than double the previous year’s level. The group said it remained on track to meet full-year earnings expectations.