LPL Financial LLC Grows Holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. $CHH

Key Points

• LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 9.3% in the first quarter, owning 30,205 shares valued at approximately $4.01 million.
• Choice Hotels reported a quarterly earnings per share of $1.92, surpassing analysts' expectations, but experienced a 2% decline in revenue year-over-year.
• Analysts have set an average price target of $134.08 for Choice Hotels stock, with mixed ratings that include four "sell" and three "buy" recommendations.

LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 9.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,205 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,567 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Choice Hotels International worth $4,011,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 56.9% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 17,902 shares of the company's stock worth $2,541,000 after purchasing an additional 6,493 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 492.4% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,207 shares of the company's stock worth $691,000 after buying an additional 4,328 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 3.2% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 234,047 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,077,000 after buying an additional 7,159 shares during the period. MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the first quarter valued at approximately $434,000. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the first quarter worth approximately $278,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on CHH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Choice Hotels International in a report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. Susquehanna set a $140.00 target price on Choice Hotels International and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. 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 research report on Monday, May 19th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $134.08.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,381 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,330,587.45. The trade was a 3.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 12,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,647,400 in the last ninety days. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of Choice Hotels International stock traded up $0.96 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $122.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 288,757 shares, compared to its average volume of 424,559. The business has a fifty day moving average of $128.02 and a 200 day moving average of $131.40. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $116.20 and a 1-year high of $157.86. The company has a market capitalization of $5.69 billion, a PE ratio of 19.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.96.

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

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.