Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 133,216 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. $CHH

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 5.5%, owning approximately 5.47% of the company, valued at $339.46 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Choice Hotels reported $1.92 earnings per share for the last quarter, beating estimates slightly, but experienced a 2.0% decline in revenue compared to the previous year.
• Several analysts have downgraded their price targets for Choice Hotels International, with Barclays and UBS lowering their price objectives, indicating a cautious outlook on the company's stock following recent performance.

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 5.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,556,589 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 133,216 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 5.47% of Choice Hotels International worth $339,464,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CHH. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 66.2% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 256 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the first quarter worth $35,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 64.7% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 275 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 604 shares of the company's stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 133.2% in the first quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 1,026 shares of the company's stock valued at $136,000 after acquiring an additional 586 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 5,000 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.54, for a total value of $642,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 70,881 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,111,043.74. This trade represents a 6.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last three months, insiders sold 12,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,647,400. Company insiders own 23.78% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of CHH stock traded up $0.87 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $120.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 802,117 shares, compared to its average volume of 434,476. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $127.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $131.04. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $116.20 and a 52 week high of $157.86. The company has a market cap of $5.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.96.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CHH. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $121.00 price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $124.00 price objective 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 note on Thursday, August 7th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Susquehanna set a $140.00 price objective on Choice Hotels International and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $134.08.

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.