Trexquant Investment LP Buys Shares of 16,814 Choice Hotels International, Inc. $CHH

Key Points

• Trexquant Investment LP has invested $2.23 million in Choice Hotels International, acquiring 16,814 shares as per its latest SEC filing.
• Several other institutional investors have also increased their stakes in Choice Hotels, growing the total institutional ownership to 65.57% of the company.
• Choice Hotels reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, slightly beating analysts' expectations, but its revenue of $426.44 million fell short of projections.

Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 16,814 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,233,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 66.2% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 256 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. bought a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 64.7% in the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 275 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 1,694.6% in the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 664 shares of the company's stock valued at $88,000 after buying an additional 627 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its position in Choice Hotels International by 133.2% during the 1st quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 1,026 shares of the company's stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on CHH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Susquehanna set a $140.00 price target on shares of Choice Hotels International and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $121.00 to $117.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Choice Hotels International from $144.00 to $136.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $133.38.

Choice Hotels International Stock Down 1.6%

NYSE CHH traded down $1.90 during trading on Monday, reaching $114.93. 666,586 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 423,091. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $112.31 and a fifty-two week high of $157.86. The firm has a market cap of $5.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.90. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $126.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $128.35.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $426.44 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $430.13 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. Choice Hotels International's revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.54, for a total value of $642,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 70,881 shares in the company, valued at $9,111,043.74. This represents a 6.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 12,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,647,400 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 24.02% of the company's stock.

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.