Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Stock Rated “Buy” in New Coverage at Freedom Broker

Freedom Broker assumed coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $117.00 target price on the stock.

Several other analysts also recently commented on CHH. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $101.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $98.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $106.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $124.00 price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $113.15.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of Choice Hotels International stock opened at $108.58 on Wednesday. Choice Hotels International has a 1 year low of $84.04 and a 1 year high of $123.82. The business has a 50-day moving average of $103.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $107.99. The company has a market capitalization of $4.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 14.08, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.05. Choice Hotels International had a return on equity of 205.69% and a net margin of 20.28%. The company had revenue of $440.76 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $436.48 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.92 earnings per share. Choice Hotels International’s revenue was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Choice Hotels International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.860-7.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Choice Hotels International will post 6.97 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.24%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William Jews sold 5,057 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.98, for a total value of $540,997.86. Following the sale, the director owned 23,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,566,129.26. This trade represents a 17.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 23.87% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CHH. Bamco Inc. NY raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 37.8% in the fourth quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 7,386,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $703,645,000 after purchasing an additional 2,026,679 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 1.7% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 669,693 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,847,000 after purchasing an additional 11,366 shares during the last quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 0.3% during the third quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 360,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,942,000 after purchasing an additional 1,172 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its position in Choice Hotels International by 35.5% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 258,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,740,000 after purchasing an additional 67,697 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Choice Hotels International by 1,009.6% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 139,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,445,000 after purchasing an additional 126,973 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

About Choice Hotels International

Choice Hotels International, Inc is a hospitality company that franchises and manages a broad portfolio of hotels and lodging properties. Its brand portfolio spans economy, midscale, upscale and extended-stay segments, including Comfort, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, Cambria Hotels, Ascend Hotel Collection, MainStay Suites, Suburban Studios, Everhome Suites and WoodSpring Suites.

The company primarily supports independent hotel owners and franchisees through brand standards, reservations, marketing, technology, loyalty programs and operational resources.