KBC Group NV Has $153,000 Stock Holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

KBC Group NV trimmed its holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 94.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,155 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,040 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $153,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 492.4% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,207 shares of the company's stock valued at $691,000 after purchasing an additional 4,328 shares in the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 1st quarter valued at $202,000. Fenimore Asset Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc now owns 178,175 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,658,000 after acquiring an additional 1,650 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 66.2% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 256 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 15.1% during the 1st quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 94,569 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,557,000 after acquiring an additional 12,438 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Trading Up 2.4%

NYSE:CHH traded up $3.21 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $134.66. 541,711 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 390,600. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $127.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $134.36. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.20 and a 12 month high of $157.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.96.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 377.51% and a net margin of 19.75%. The firm 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 posted $1.28 EPS. Choice Hotels International's revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CHH. Barclays cut their price objective 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. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They set an "underweight" rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Choice Hotels International from $144.00 to $128.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered 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 given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $131.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 4,900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.72, for a total value of $650,328.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 70,881 shares in the company, valued at $9,407,326.32. The trade was a 6.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.56, for a total transaction of $259,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,565,395 in the last quarter. 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.