Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Buys 120,376 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 69.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 292,836 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 120,376 shares during the quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. owned about 0.62% of Choice Hotels International worth $41,577,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ boosted 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 valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the period. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $65,000. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on CHH. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $135.69.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

CHH stock opened at $127.00 on Tuesday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.22 and a 52-week high of $157.86. The company has a market capitalization of $5.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.39, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $130.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $139.84.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.46%.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In related news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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