Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Short Interest Up 7.5% in June

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totalling 7,020,000 shares, a growth of 7.5% from the June 15th total of 6,530,000 shares. Currently, 26.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 525,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 13.4 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on CHH. Susquehanna initiated coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Friday, June 21st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $114.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $140.00 to $137.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Choice Hotels International from $128.00 to $112.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 9th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price target on Choice Hotels International from $146.00 to $144.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $129.09.

Choice Hotels International Stock Down 0.8 %

CHH stock traded down $1.10 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $129.43. The stock had a trading volume of 669,883 shares, compared to its average volume of 553,827. Choice Hotels International has a 1-year low of $108.91 and a 1-year high of $136.02. The company has a fifty day moving average of $117.67 and a 200 day moving average of $118.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.41, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.23.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $331.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $343.04 million. Choice Hotels International had a return on equity of 748.46% and a net margin of 15.34%. The firm’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.12 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Choice Hotels International will post 6.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 16th. Investors of record on Monday, July 1st were issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.68%.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, insider Robert J. Mcdowell sold 1,243 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.58, for a total value of $146,151.94. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 38,502 shares in the company, valued at $4,527,065.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Robert J. Mcdowell sold 1,243 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.58, for a total transaction of $146,151.94. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 38,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,527,065.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 13,117 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.45, for a total value of $1,632,410.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 69,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,608,330.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 27,619 shares of company stock valued at $3,436,998 over the last 90 days. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CHH. State of Michigan Retirement System raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 6,032 shares of the company’s stock worth $762,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1.4% in the first quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 7,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $897,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 144.4% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 198 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 1,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $219,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 163.2% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Choice Hotels International Company Profile

Choice Hotels International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a hotel franchisor in the United States and internationally. It operates through Hotel Franchising & Management and Corporate & Other segments. The company franchises lodging properties under the brand names of Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Clarion, Clarion Pointe, Sleep Inn, Ascend Hotel Collection, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, MainStay Suites, Suburban Studios, WoodSpring Suites, Everhome Suites, Cambria Hotels, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson, Park Plaza, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Radisson Inn & Suites, Park Inn by Radisson, Radisson Individuals, and Radisson Collection.