D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Increases Stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lifted its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 65.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 103,064 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 40,729 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $14,633,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,562 shares of the company’s stock valued at $506,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 12,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,838,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in Choice Hotels International by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,069 shares of the company’s stock worth $294,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 2,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $300,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Choice Hotels International stock opened at $126.21 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $127.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $139.29. The company has a market cap of $5.90 billion, a PE ratio of 20.26, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.00. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $109.22 and a fifty-two week high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by ($0.04). Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. The firm had revenue of $332.86 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $348.52 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.28 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.46%.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In other news, 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 value of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,219,797.90. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total value of $257,032.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This trade represents a 5.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 23.78% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on CHH shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the company from $141.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $124.00 to $115.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 15th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $135.69.

Choice Hotels International 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.