Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Shares Purchased by Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 521.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 472 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $67,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Choice Hotels International by 55.8% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at about $62,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 836.2% in the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CHH. Barclays upped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $132.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, March 24th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.62.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total value of $257,032.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,219,797.90. The trade was a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 1.0 %

NYSE:CHH opened at $134.02 on Thursday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.22 and a 52 week high of $157.86. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $142.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.25.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is currently 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.