Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Shares Sold by Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.

Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. lessened its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 34.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,214 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,208 shares during the period. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.'s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $560,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 55.8% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 393 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at about $62,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

CHH stock traded up $0.74 during trading on Monday, reaching $123.64. The company had a trading volume of 476,352 shares, compared to its average volume of 392,757. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $126.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.45. The company has a market cap of $5.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.97. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $116.13 and a twelve month high of $157.86.

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

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Choice Hotels International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Choice Hotels International news, Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 52,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,764,586.72. The trade was a 3.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 24.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on CHH. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded 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 report on Monday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target 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. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $144.00 to $128.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $132.00 to $111.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $131.31.

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.