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

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $141.33.

Several equities analysts recently commented on CHH shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $131.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target 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.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

CHH stock opened at $129.65 on Tuesday. Choice Hotels International has a 52 week low of $109.22 and a 52 week high of $157.86. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $143.92 and its 200 day moving average is $140.48. The firm has a market cap of $6.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released 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 net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. The company had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.24 million. As a group, analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 18.46%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,797.90. The trade was a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CHH. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth about $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 55.8% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 836.2% in the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $62,000. 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.