Brokerages Set Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Target Price at $131.31

Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Reduce" from the thirteen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $131.31.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CHH. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $141.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Monday. They set an "underweight" rating and a $124.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Susquehanna set a $140.00 price target on Choice Hotels International and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In other news, Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.56, for a total transaction of $259,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 52,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,764,586.72. This represents a 3.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 23.78% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,562 shares of the company's stock valued at $506,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 12,944 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,838,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted 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 worth $52,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,069 shares of the company's stock worth $294,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 2.2% during the first quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 4,367 shares of the company's stock valued at $580,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of CHH traded up $0.78 on Thursday, hitting $127.80. 829,087 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 392,912. The company has a market capitalization of $5.93 billion, a PE ratio of 19.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.97. Choice Hotels International has a one year low of $116.13 and a one year high of $157.86. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $126.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $135.20.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by ($0.04). Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 19.75% and a negative return on equity of 377.51%. 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 company earned $1.28 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.56%.

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.