Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Saturday.

CHH has been the subject of a number of other reports. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.67.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of CHH opened at $132.48 on Friday. Choice Hotels International has a 52 week low of $109.22 and a 52 week high of $157.86. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $144.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $140.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.46%.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In related news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This represents a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $506,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 12,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,838,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 30.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,069 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP now owns 3,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $435,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.