Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Stock Gets Price Target Increase from Freedom Broker

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its target price upped by equities research analysts at Freedom Broker from $117.00 to $130.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Freedom Broker‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 10.26% from the company’s current price.

CHH has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Choice Hotels International from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $119.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $103.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $115.79.

Choice Hotels International Stock Down 2.0%

CHH stock opened at $117.90 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.52. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $104.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.32. The company has a market cap of $5.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.65. Choice Hotels International has a twelve month low of $84.04 and a twelve month high of $123.82.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.04. Choice Hotels International had a return on equity of 216.71% and a net margin of 12.65%. The firm had revenue of $458.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.56 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.10 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William L. Jews sold 5,057 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.98, for a total transaction of $540,997.86. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 23,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,566,129.26. The trade was a 17.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.35, for a total value of $240,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 31,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,751,550.20. This trade represents a 6.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 8,284 shares of company stock valued at $919,122 over the last three months. Insiders own 23.87% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 3.0% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 21,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,215,000 after purchasing an additional 636 shares during the last quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at about $210,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 2.2% in the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 14,435 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,478,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 2,156 shares of the company’s stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 4,343 shares of the company’s stock worth $445,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Company Profile

Choice Hotels International, Inc is a global lodging franchisor that licenses its hotel brands to independent owners and operators. The company supports its franchisees through brand standards, reservation and distribution systems, marketing, loyalty programs, technology, and operational services rather than primarily owning and operating hotels itself.

Its portfolio includes brands serving a range of price points and travel needs, including Comfort, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Econo Lodge, MainStay Suites, Suburban Studios, WoodSpring Suites, Cambria Hotels, and the Ascend Hotel Collection.