Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) EVP Dominic Dragisich Sells 3,500 Shares

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) 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 transaction of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. The trade was a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:CHH opened at $143.10 on Friday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.91 and a 1 year high of $157.86. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $145.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $139.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.69 billion, a PE ratio of 22.97, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.23.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is 18.46%.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% in 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 last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Choice Hotels International by 81.4% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter worth $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted 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 valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at about $62,000. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CHH. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $129.00 price target (down previously from $145.00) on shares of Choice Hotels International in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $139.92.

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.