Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Receives Consensus Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) have earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the twelve analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $140.67.

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com lowered Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of CHH stock opened at $132.48 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $144.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.48. Choice Hotels International has a one year low of $109.22 and a one year high of $157.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.19 billion, a PE ratio of 21.27, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.10. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. The business had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $374.24 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 18.46%.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 55.8% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 836.2% in the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.