XTX Topco Ltd Grows Holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

XTX Topco Ltd lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - Free Report) by 155.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,243 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,049 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd's holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $1,758,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,423,373 shares of the company's stock worth $344,070,000 after purchasing an additional 8,362 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,201,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 69.8% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 292,836 shares of the company's stock worth $41,577,000 after acquiring an additional 120,376 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 267,256 shares of the company's stock worth $37,945,000 after acquiring an additional 24,957 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position 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 worth $31,077,000 after acquiring an additional 7,159 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on CHH shares. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $121.00 target price on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Susquehanna set a $140.00 target price on shares of Choice Hotels International and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a report on Monday, June 23rd. They set an "underweight" rating and a $124.00 price objective on the stock. 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 issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $134.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In related news, Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 52,212 shares in the company, valued at $6,764,586.72. The trade was a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 68,381 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,330,587.45. This represents a 3.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,906,520 over the last quarter. Insiders own 23.78% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:CHH traded down $1.78 on Friday, hitting $125.93. 393,383 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 380,012. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $116.20 and a 1-year high of $157.86. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $129.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $133.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.96.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.38 by ($0.04). Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 377.51% and a net margin of 19.75%. The company had revenue of $332.86 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $348.52 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.28 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st were paid a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 1st. Choice Hotels International's payout ratio is presently 17.56%.

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.