JPMorgan Chase & Co. Sells 51,298 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. $CHH

JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 352,422 shares of the company’s stock after selling 51,298 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.76% of Choice Hotels International worth $37,679,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CHH. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the first quarter worth $324,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 13.3% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 110,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,610,000 after acquiring an additional 12,904 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 108,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,408,000 after buying an additional 8,887 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 89.8% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 50,138 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,657,000 after purchasing an additional 23,726 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its stake in Choice Hotels International by 13.4% during the 2nd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 14,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,851,000 after buying an additional 1,723 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Choice Hotels International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $91.00 price objective on Choice Hotels International in a research note on Friday, January 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $111.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Simone Wu sold 8,080 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.56, for a total transaction of $820,604.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 48,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,956,432.68. This represents a 14.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 23.78% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 2.5%

NYSE:CHH opened at $105.27 on Friday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $84.04 and a 52 week high of $147.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.29, a P/E/G ratio of 5.02 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.52. The company has a fifty day moving average of $104.45 and a 200 day moving average of $103.47.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $390.15 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $369.26 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 23.17% and a return on equity of 541.07%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.55 EPS. Choice Hotels International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.920-7.140 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.52%.

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.