44,461 Choice Hotels International, Inc. $CHH Shares Sold by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Key Points

• Boston Trust Walden cut its Choice Hotels stake by 4.9%, selling 44,461 shares in the third quarter. It retained 854,469 shares, valued at about $87.5 million.
• Choice Hotels reported quarterly EPS of $2.33, beating the $2.29 consensus, while revenue of $458.3 million exceeded estimates and rose 2.5% year over year.
• Analysts’ consensus rating was Hold, with a $113.69 average price target; three analysts rated the stock Buy, nine Hold, and three Sell.

Boston Trust Walden Corp trimmed its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 854,469 shares of the company's stock after selling 44,461 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned about 1.90% of Choice Hotels International worth $87,506,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1.7% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 669,693 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,847,000 after buying an additional 11,366 shares during the last quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 247.3% in the first quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. now owns 125,122 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,950,000 after buying an additional 89,096 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the first quarter valued at about $6,452,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the second quarter worth about $8,380,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Choice Hotels International by 6.5% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 94,914 shares of the company's stock worth $10,466,000 after buying an additional 5,766 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of CHH stock opened at $120.38 on Thursday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $84.04 and a 52-week high of $123.82. The stock has a market cap of $5.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.52, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.26. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $104.81 and a 200-day moving average of $107.27.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.04. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 12.65% and a return on equity of 216.71%. The company had revenue of $458.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.56 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.10 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st were given a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 1st. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio is 16.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CHH has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Freedom Broker started coverage on Choice Hotels International in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. They set a "buy" rating and a $117.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $113.69.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, CEO Dominic Dragisich sold 1,227 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total transaction of $137,424.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,055 shares in the company, valued at $10,086,160. This trade represents a 1.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director William Jews sold 5,057 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.98, for a total transaction of $540,997.86. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,987 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,566,129.26. This represents a 17.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 23.87% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Choice Hotels International Company Profile

Choice Hotels International, Inc is a global lodging franchisor that licenses its hotel brands to independent owners and operators. The company supports its franchisees through brand standards, reservation and distribution systems, marketing, loyalty programs, technology, and operational services rather than primarily owning and operating hotels itself.

Its portfolio includes brands serving a range of price points and travel needs, including Comfort, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Econo Lodge, MainStay Suites, Suburban Studios, WoodSpring Suites, Cambria Hotels, and the Ascend Hotel Collection.

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