Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Price Target Raised to $160.00

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price objective lifted by Robert W. Baird from $145.00 to $160.00 in a report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on CHH. Bank of America increased their target price on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $129.00 target price (down from $145.00) on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $139.92.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $143.07 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $145.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $139.05. Choice Hotels International has a fifty-two week low of $108.91 and a fifty-two week high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. The business had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. Equities research analysts expect that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.46%.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 24.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CHH. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 81.4% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 55.8% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 836.2% during the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Choice Hotels International

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.