Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Receives $140.67 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) have received a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the thirteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $140.62.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CHH. StockNews.com lowered shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Redburn Atlantic raised Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $132.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In other news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,622,821.60. This represents a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 68,913 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. The trade was a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $506,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 12,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,838,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 30.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in Choice Hotels International by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,069 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP now owns 3,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 1.6 %

Choice Hotels International stock opened at $131.55 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $6.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.12, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $143.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.63. Choice Hotels International has a 52 week low of $109.22 and a 52 week high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.24 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 18.46%.

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.