Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 7,809 Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 7,809 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,109,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,562 shares of the company's stock valued at $506,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 12,944 shares of the company's stock worth $1,838,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position 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 worth $52,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP now owns 3,062 shares of the company's stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on CHH shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $132.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Choice Hotels International from $132.00 to $111.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $133.38.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Choice Hotels International stock traded down $0.48 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $130.29. The stock had a trading volume of 282,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 393,334. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $109.22 and a fifty-two week high of $157.86. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $126.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.05 billion, a PE ratio of 20.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.00.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by ($0.04). Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. 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 business earned $1.28 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.56%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now directly owns 52,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,764,586.72. This trade represents a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total value of $257,032.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at $4,622,821.60. This trade represents a 5.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 23.78% of the company's stock.

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.