VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Purchases New Holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. $CHH

Key Points

• The Virginia Retirement Systems purchased a new stake in Choice Hotels International, acquiring 5,400 shares valued at approximately $685,000 in the second quarter.
• Choice Hotels reported earnings of $1.92 per share for the last quarter, surpassing expectations slightly, though quarterly revenue fell by 2.0% from the previous year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.2875 per share, which reflects an annual yield of approximately 1.2%.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 5,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $685,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 1st quarter valued at about $3,598,000. XTX Topco Ltd increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 155.0% during the 1st quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 13,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,758,000 after purchasing an additional 8,049 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Choice Hotels International by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 234,047 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,077,000 after purchasing an additional 7,159 shares in the last quarter. MQS Management LLC bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 1st quarter valued at about $434,000. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 1st quarter valued at about $278,000. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE CHH opened at $97.30 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $109.88 and a 200 day moving average of $121.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.86 and a beta of 0.83. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $96.88 and a 12-month high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. The company had revenue of $426.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.84 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Choice Hotels International's payout ratio is currently 17.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on CHH shares. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $117.00 to $101.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group reduced their price objective 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. Bank of America lowered shares of Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $110.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $144.00 to $136.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $126.77.

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.

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