Bridgewater Associates LP Sells 5,837 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Bridgewater Associates LP lessened its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 70.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,400 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,837 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP's holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $341,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 6,692 shares of the company's stock valued at $872,000 after purchasing an additional 802 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the third quarter worth about $55,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 26.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 16,048 shares of the company's stock worth $2,155,000 after purchasing an additional 3,330 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth about $2,691,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 38.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,419,000 after buying an additional 111,903 shares in the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Choice Hotels International stock traded down $1.00 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $125.19. The stock had a trading volume of 41,410 shares, compared to its average volume of 402,656. The firm has a market cap of $5.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.06, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $133.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $140.08. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.22 and a twelve month high of $157.86.

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

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.46%.

Insider Activity

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. The trade was a 5.27 % 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 insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on CHH. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Bank of America upped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $124.00 to $115.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Choice Hotels International from $132.00 to $111.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $135.69.

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.