LONDON, July 3, 2026, 21:07 BST
- IHG ended 1.06% lower at $167.55 in London, while the FTSE 100 rose 0.2% to 10,679.03.
- The latest buyback filing showed 40,000 shares bought on July 2 at an average $169.2905, above Friday’s close.
- Three latest buyback filings totaled 145,000 shares, about 9.4% of reported volume across those purchase sessions.
- IHG said in May that Q1 global RevPAR rose 4.4% and $240 million of its planned $950 million 2026 buyback had been completed.
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (LON:IHG) fell 1.06% to $167.55 in London on Friday, leaving the stock down 2.33% over five sessions but still up 19.01% this year. Its ordinary shares have traded in U.S. dollars on the London Stock Exchange since Jan. 2, after IHG switched the quote currency from sterling.
The stock lagged the wider London tape. The FTSE 100 closed up 0.2% at 10,679.03, helped by financials and precious metals miners, Reuters reported.
| Measure | IHG London line | FTSE 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Friday close | $167.55 | 10,679.03 |
| Friday move | -1.06% | +0.2% |
| Five-day / week read | -2.33% | Weekly gain |
| Year-to-date move | +19.01% | — |
The less visible number for equity holders was the size of IHG’s own buying. IHG said on Friday it had bought 40,000 ordinary shares on July 2 through Goldman Sachs International at an average $169.2905, with the shares due to be cancelled. After the deal, IHG had 148,893,971 ordinary shares in issue, excluding treasury shares.
Filings for the last three reported purchases, matched against MarketScreener’s London volume table, show the buyback took a meaningful slice of daily turnover even as the stock eased from this year’s high.
| Purchase date | Shares bought | Average price | Reported session volume | Buyback as share of volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 30 | 65,000 | $172.8097 | 540,707 | 12.0% |
| July 1 | 40,000 | $168.7425 | 351,493 | 11.4% |
| July 2 | 40,000 | $169.2905 | 652,405 | 6.1% |
| Total | 145,000 | $170.7169 weighted | 1,544,605 | 9.4% |
Those purchases cost about $24.8 million. The weighted average purchase price was 1.9% above Friday’s close. That gap matters because IHG is still buying near the upper end of its current-year trading range of $125.05 to $175.70, while MarketScreener lists the company at about 29.2 times estimated 2026 earnings and a 1.23% estimated 2026 yield.
The buyback is part of IHG’s larger capital return plan. In its May 7 first-quarter update, the company said $240 million of its $950 million 2026 share buyback programme had been completed, cutting the share count by 1.1%.
The operating case behind that valuation rests on room revenue growth and pipeline delivery. IHG said Q1 global revenue per available room, a hotel industry demand measure, rose 4.4%, with Greater China up 5.7% and EMEAA up 5.6%. Chief Executive Elie Maalouf said “Global RevPAR grew +4.4%, with notable strength in the US.” InterContinental Hotels Group PLC
| Q1 2026 RevPAR growth | Change |
|---|---|
| Global | +4.4% |
| Americas | +3.6% |
| EMEAA | +5.6% |
| Greater China | +5.7% |
IHG also said it opened 14,900 rooms across 82 hotels in the quarter and signed 21,400 rooms across 163 hotels. Its global system stood at 1.036 million rooms across 7,014 hotels, with a pipeline of 343,000 rooms across 2,347 hotels.
Fresh company news in the last 48 hours came from China. On July 2, IHG said it planned a series of new Greater China openings in the second half of 2026 across major cities, transport hubs and leisure locations. Daniel Aylmer, chief executive of IHG Greater China, said: “Greater China remains one of the most important and dynamic markets for IHG globally.” InterContinental Hotels Group PLC
