Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) CFO Sells $240,700.00 in Stock

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) CFO Scott Oaksmith sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.35, for a total value of $240,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 31,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,751,550.20. This represents a 6.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 0.7%

NYSE:CHH opened at $118.69 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $105.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.52, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a one year low of $84.04 and a one year high of $123.82. The company has a market cap of $5.28 billion, a PE ratio of 26.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.65.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $458.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.56 million. Choice Hotels International had a return on equity of 216.71% and a net margin of 12.65%. Choice Hotels International’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.10 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st were paid a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on CHH shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $124.00 price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Freedom Broker raised their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $106.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $115.46.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 1.7% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 669,693 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,847,000 after purchasing an additional 11,366 shares in the last quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 247.3% during the first quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. now owns 125,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,950,000 after purchasing an additional 89,096 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the first quarter valued at about $6,452,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 2nd quarter worth about $8,380,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 94,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,466,000 after purchasing an additional 5,766 shares in the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Choice Hotels International

Choice Hotels International, Inc is a global lodging franchisor that licenses its hotel brands to independent owners and operators. The company supports its franchisees through brand standards, reservation and distribution systems, marketing, loyalty programs, technology, and operational services rather than primarily owning and operating hotels itself.

Its portfolio includes brands serving a range of price points and travel needs, including Comfort, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Econo Lodge, MainStay Suites, Suburban Studios, WoodSpring Suites, Cambria Hotels, and the Ascend Hotel Collection.