Morgan Stanley Lowers Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Price Target to $115.00

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $124.00 to $115.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has an "underweight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective indicates a potential downside of 8.26% from the company's current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $132.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Choice Hotels International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $135.69.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

NYSE CHH traded down $0.83 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $125.36. The company had a trading volume of 230,179 shares, compared to its average volume of 401,900. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.12, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. Choice Hotels International has a 52 week low of $109.22 and a 52 week high of $157.86. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.10.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 18.91% and a negative return on equity of 472.31%. On average, research analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,913 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. This represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at $4,622,821.60. This represents a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 24.02% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 66.2% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 256 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 55.8% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company's stock.

Choice Hotels International Company 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.