Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Increases Position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 279,149 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,725 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $39,634,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 33.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 16,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,193,000 after acquiring an additional 4,219 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 14,889 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,940,000 after purchasing an additional 3,446 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $19,545,000. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter worth $879,000. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 82,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,661,000 after purchasing an additional 12,128 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,797.90. This represents a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,622,821.60. This trade represents a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of CHH stock opened at $130.12 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.89, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.22 and a 52 week high of $157.86. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $144.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $140.35.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. On average, analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CHH. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Barclays raised their target price on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.67.

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.