Shares of H World Group (HTHT) surged 5.67% in Wednesday's intraday trading following the release of the company's impressive second quarter 2025 financial results and dividend announcement.
The Chinese hotel operator reported revenue of RMB 6.4 billion ($897 million) for Q2, representing a 4.5% year-over-year increase and exceeding analyst expectations. Net income attributable to H World Group skyrocketed 44.7% year-over-year to RMB 1.5 billion ($215 million), driven by the company's successful asset-light strategy.
H World's high-margin manachised and franchised business saw particularly strong growth, with revenue in this segment jumping 22.8% compared to the same period last year. This robust performance in the asset-light portion of the business signals improved profitability and scalability for the company.
Adding to investor optimism, H World declared a cash dividend of $0.081 per ordinary share for the first half of 2025. This move demonstrates confidence in the company's financial position and commitment to returning value to shareholders.
Looking ahead, H World provided an upbeat outlook for the third quarter, projecting revenue growth of 2-6% year-over-year. The company expects its manachised and franchised revenue to continue its strong performance, with projected growth of 20-24% in Q3.
The combination of better-than-expected Q2 results, significant growth in the high-margin business segment, dividend announcement, and positive forward guidance appears to be driving today's surge in H World's stock price as investors react positively to the company's strong performance and future prospects.