Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Shares Acquired by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 65.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 103,064 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 40,729 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned 0.22% of Choice Hotels International worth $14,633,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CHH. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 55.8% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 836.2% during the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company's stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHH traded down $0.83 during trading on Monday, hitting $129.86. The company's stock had a trading volume of 126,491 shares, compared to its average volume of 394,316. The company has a 50-day moving average of $127.06 and a 200-day moving average of $139.03. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.22 and a 12 month high of $157.86. The firm has a market cap of $6.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Choice Hotels International's payout ratio is currently 17.56%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at $4,622,821.60. The trade was a 5.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 23.78% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on CHH shares. 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 research report on Monday, March 24th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $141.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $134.54.

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.