UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Has $11.75 Million Stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 11.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 90,151 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,982 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.19% of Choice Hotels International worth $11,747,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 307.4% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 220 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 129.4% during the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1,146.9% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $56,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $69,000. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Choice Hotels International news, SVP Simone Wu sold 7,840 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.08, for a total transaction of $1,019,827.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,940,623.52. The trade was a 14.65 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.95, for a total value of $1,042,480.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,656,336.70. The trade was a 1.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 71,437 shares of company stock valued at $9,788,980 in the last quarter. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $130.45.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of CHH stock opened at $148.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $6.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.23. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $141.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $128.81. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $108.91 and a 52 week high of $153.81.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $428.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.82 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.03%.

Choice Hotels International Company 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.