AXQ Capital LP Sells 5,969 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

AXQ Capital LP lessened its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 73.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,111 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,969 shares during the period. AXQ Capital LP’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 949,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,822,000 after acquiring an additional 9,490 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 38.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,419,000 after acquiring an additional 111,903 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at $48,201,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 279,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,634,000 after acquiring an additional 2,725 shares during the period. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter valued at $19,545,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of CHH stock opened at $129.65 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $6.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.81, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.22 and a 52 week high of $157.86. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $143.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $140.58.

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

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is 18.46%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total value of $257,032.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,622,821.60. This represents a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at $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. Corporate insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CHH. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.33.

Choice Hotels International 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.