Liontrust Investment Partners LLP Acquires Shares of 4,993 Choice Hotels International, Inc. $CHH

Key Points

• Liontrust Investment Partners LLP has recently established a new position in Choice Hotels International, acquiring 4,993 shares worth approximately $662,000 during the 1st quarter.
• Several hedge funds, including Barclays PLC and SG Americas Securities LLC, have significantly increased their stakes in Choice Hotels, which indicates strong institutional interest, with 65.57% of the stock owned by such investors.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Choice Hotels, with target prices ranging from $117.00 to $149.00, while the company recently reported earnings per share of $1.92, beating estimates but with a decline in revenue year-over-year.

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP bought a new position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,993 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $662,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CHH. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 104.9% in the 1st quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 61,570 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,175,000 after purchasing an additional 31,527 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the first quarter worth $398,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in Choice Hotels International by 1,694.6% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 664 shares of the company's stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 627 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 77.9% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,039 shares of the company's stock valued at $404,000 after buying an additional 1,331 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 1,842 shares of the company's stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $121.00 to $117.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Truist Financial lowered 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. Morgan Stanley reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $121.00 price target on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $134.08.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

CHH traded up $0.3450 on Thursday, hitting $119.4850. 484,256 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 427,777. The stock's fifty day moving average is $127.64 and its 200-day moving average is $131.24. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.20 and a 12 month high of $157.86. The company has a market cap of $5.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.38, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.96.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.45, for a total transaction of $341,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 68,381 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,330,587.45. This trade represents a 3.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last quarter, insiders sold 12,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,647,400. 23.78% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.