Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Receives Consensus Rating of "Reduce" from Brokerages

Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Reduce" by the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $135.69.

CHH has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Choice Hotels International from $124.00 to $115.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $132.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Choice Hotels International news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,622,821.60. This represents a 5.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 23.78% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 66.2% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 256 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the first quarter worth $35,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 64.7% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 275 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its position 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 buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Choice Hotels International stock traded up $1.88 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $125.55. 40,670 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 416,056. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.87 billion, a PE ratio of 20.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.00. Choice Hotels International has a 12-month low of $109.22 and a 12-month high of $157.86. The business's 50-day moving average is $128.48 and its 200-day moving average is $139.49.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.38 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $332.86 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $348.52 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. The company's revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.28 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

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

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.