Analysts Set Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Target Price at $135.69

Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) have received a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $135.69.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Choice Hotels International from $132.00 to $111.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

CHH opened at $123.57 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $128.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $139.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.00. Choice Hotels International has a 12 month low of $109.22 and a 12 month high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.38 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $332.86 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $348.52 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.28 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.46%.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. This represents a 4.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 23.78% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CHH. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 66.2% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 256 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 64.7% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 55.8% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

About Choice Hotels International

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.