Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) EVP Dominic Dragisich Sells 2,500 Shares

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.45, for a total value of $341,125.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,330,587.45. This represents a 3.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Dominic Dragisich also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, July 8th, Dominic Dragisich sold 4,900 shares of Choice Hotels International stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.72, for a total value of $650,328.00.
• On Thursday, July 3rd, Dominic Dragisich sold 100 shares of Choice Hotels International stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.47, for a total transaction of $13,247.00.
• On Tuesday, July 1st, Dominic Dragisich sold 5,000 shares of Choice Hotels International stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.54, for a total transaction of $642,700.00.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 1.6%

CHH traded up $2.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $135.07. The company had a trading volume of 278,773 shares, compared to its average volume of 385,776. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $129.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $133.56. The company has a market capitalization of $6.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.62, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.96. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $116.20 and a 52 week high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.38 by ($0.04). Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 377.51% and a net margin of 19.75%. The business had revenue of $332.86 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $348.52 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.28 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st were paid a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 1st. Choice Hotels International's payout ratio is 17.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CHH has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $141.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective 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. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $121.00 price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $134.38.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 66.2% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 256 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 64.7% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 275 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during 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. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.