Congress Asset Management Co. Increases Stock Position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 15.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 94,569 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,438 shares during the quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. owned about 0.20% of Choice Hotels International worth $12,557,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,423,373 shares of the company's stock worth $344,070,000 after buying an additional 8,362 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at about $48,201,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its stake in Choice Hotels International by 69.8% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 292,836 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,577,000 after acquiring an additional 120,376 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 279,149 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,634,000 after acquiring an additional 2,725 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 267,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,945,000 after acquiring an additional 24,957 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHH traded down $1.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $129.22. 421,674 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 392,415. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $112.16 and a 1 year high of $157.86. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $126.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.17. The firm has a market cap of $6.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.97.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.38 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $332.86 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $348.52 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. The company's quarterly revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.28 earnings per share. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.56%.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In related news, Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.56, for a total value of $259,120.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 52,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,764,586.72. This trade represents a 3.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 23.78% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 19th. Truist Financial cut their target price on Choice Hotels International from $144.00 to $128.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $132.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $124.00 to $115.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $132.15.

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.