Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) SVP Sells $820,604.80 in Stock

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) SVP Simone Wu sold 8,080 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.56, for a total transaction of $820,604.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 48,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,956,432.68. This represents a 14.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Choice Hotels International Trading Up 2.8%

CHH opened at $109.56 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $98.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $105.50. The firm has a market cap of $5.07 billion, a PE ratio of 13.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.76. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $84.04 and a twelve month high of $157.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.81, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $278.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $419.75 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 23.93% and a return on equity of 9,081.29%. Choice Hotels International’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.23 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CHH. Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $84.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $91.00 target price on Choice Hotels International in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Choice Hotels International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $109.15.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CHH. Bamco Inc. NY raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 5,359,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $573,026,000 after purchasing an additional 369,244 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,331,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $222,144,000 after acquiring an additional 27,032 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 8.4% in the third quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,046,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,912,000 after acquiring an additional 81,132 shares during the last quarter. Rock Creek Group LP grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 52.3% in the 2nd quarter. Rock Creek Group LP now owns 811,579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,973,000 after acquiring an additional 278,715 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 428,285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,341,000 after acquiring an additional 21,631 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Choice Hotels International

Choice Hotels International, Inc is a hospitality franchisor specializing in the development and support of lodging brands across the economy, midscale and upscale segments. Through a network of franchisees, Choice Hotels supplies proprietary reservation and distribution systems, comprehensive marketing programs, and operational support services. The company’s core activities include brand management, franchise development, and technology-driven revenue optimization tools designed to enhance guest acquisition and retention for its partners.

Founded in 1939 as Quality Courts United, the company rebranded to Choice Hotels International in 1982 to reflect its expanding brand portfolio and global ambitions.