Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Plans $0.29 Quarterly Dividend

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, December 11th,RTT News reports. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of 0.2875 per share on Thursday, January 16th. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd.

Choice Hotels International has raised its dividend payment by an average of 72.3% per year over the last three years. Choice Hotels International has a dividend payout ratio of 16.2% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Choice Hotels International to earn $7.16 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.15 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 16.1%.

Choice Hotels International Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE CHH opened at $141.22 on Tuesday. Choice Hotels International has a 12 month low of $108.91 and a 12 month high of $153.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $144.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $131.99. The stock has a market cap of $6.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.23.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $428.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. Choice Hotels International’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.82 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International will post 6.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.95, for a total transaction of $1,042,480.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,656,336.70. This trade represents a 1.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert J. Mcdowell sold 8,712 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.99, for a total value of $1,176,032.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 38,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,197,384.98. This represents a 18.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 53,572 shares of company stock valued at $7,562,444. 24.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CHH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $133.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $134.18.

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.