Choice Hotels International, Inc. $CHH Position Increased by Congress Asset Management Co.

Key Points

• Congress Asset Management Co. increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter, holding 100,792 shares valued at $12.8 million.
• Choice Hotels reported an EPS of $1.92 for the last quarter, slightly exceeding expectations but indicated a 2.0% decline in revenue year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.2875, with a payout ratio of 17.69%, scheduled for payment on October 16th.

Congress Asset Management Co. increased its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 100,792 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,223 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. owned 0.22% of Choice Hotels International worth $12,788,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 66.2% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 256 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 64.7% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 275 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 119.1% in the 2nd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 0.9%

CHH opened at $109.56 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.07 billion, a PE ratio of 16.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.90. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $120.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $125.13. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $107.56 and a fifty-two week high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $426.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $430.13 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 575.73% and a net margin of 19.52%.Choice Hotels International's revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be given a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Choice Hotels International's payout ratio is currently 17.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHH has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $121.00 target price on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $124.00 target price on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on Choice Hotels International from $121.00 to $117.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Choice Hotels International from $144.00 to $136.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $133.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.45, for a total value of $341,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 68,381 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,330,587.45. The trade was a 3.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 12,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,647,400 over the last ninety days. 23.78% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Choice Hotels International

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.

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