Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. Invests $398,000 in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. has invested approximately $398,000 in Choice Hotels International, acquiring 3,000 shares in the company during the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors, including Bank of Montreal and Invesco Ltd., have increased their holdings in Choice Hotels, indicating growing institutional interest in the stock.
• Choice Hotels recently announced its quarterly earnings, reporting an EPS of $1.92, which exceeded expectations, but also a 2.0% decline in revenue compared to the previous year.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $398,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,221 shares of the company's stock worth $883,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 85.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 134,188 shares of the company's stock worth $19,052,000 after buying an additional 61,849 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 19,335 shares of the company's stock worth $2,745,000 after buying an additional 1,947 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 56.9% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 17,902 shares of the company's stock worth $2,541,000 after buying an additional 6,493 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 2,697 shares of the company's stock worth $383,000 after buying an additional 439 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Susquehanna set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. They set an "underweight" rating and a $124.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $121.00 target price on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $134.08.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In related news, Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of the 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 owned 52,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,764,586.72. This represents a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.45, for a total transaction of $341,125.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,381 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,330,587.45. The trade was a 3.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,906,520 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 23.78% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $124.13 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.10, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.96. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.20 and a 12 month high of $157.86. The firm's 50-day moving average is $128.32 and its 200 day moving average is $132.15.

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

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.

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