Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV lowered its holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 94.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund 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 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CHH. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 66.2% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 256 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 30.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 55.8% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 836.2% during the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at about $62,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of CHH stock traded up $0.38 on Tuesday, hitting $131.90. The company had a trading volume of 16,671 shares, compared to its average volume of 389,326. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $116.13 and a twelve month high of $157.86. The firm has a market cap of $6.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $127.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $134.39.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by ($0.04). Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 19.75% and a negative return on equity of 377.51%. The company had revenue of $332.86 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $348.52 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.28 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Choice Hotels International's payout ratio is presently 17.56%.

Insider Activity

In related 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 owned 70,881 shares in the company, valued at $9,111,043.74. The trade was a 6.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.56, for a total value of $259,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 52,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,764,586.72. This represents a 3.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CHH shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $141.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, April 14th. Redburn Atlantic raised Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $132.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Robert W. Baird lowered 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. Barclays lowered 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. Finally, Susquehanna set a $140.00 price objective on Choice Hotels International and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $131.31.

Choice Hotels International 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.