Analysts Set Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) PT at $139.15

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) has been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $139.15.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on CHH shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $132.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th.

Choice Hotels International Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of Choice Hotels International stock opened at $126.70 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $5.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.34, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $137.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $140.58. Choice Hotels International has a 1-year low of $109.22 and a 1-year high of $157.86.

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

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.46%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were 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 approximately $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 company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 33.4% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 16,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,193,000 after purchasing an additional 4,219 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 30.1% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 14,889 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,940,000 after acquiring an additional 3,446 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 279,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,634,000 after purchasing an additional 2,725 shares in the last quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth about $879,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter worth about $2,258,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

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.