Citigroup Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Citigroup Inc. decreased its holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH – Get Rating) by 30.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,821 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,630 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc.’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $2,233,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CHH. Centiva Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at about $219,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter valued at approximately $930,000. Shell Asset Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 13.3% during the third quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 3,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $365,000 after buying an additional 392 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter valued at approximately $738,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,152,000 after buying an additional 379 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.03% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

CHH opened at $113.93 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $121.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $120.13. The firm has a market cap of $5.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.64, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.27. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $104.15 and a twelve month high of $133.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.25.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 9th. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.04. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 21.50% and a return on equity of 129.67%. The company had revenue of $333.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $320.43 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.03 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.287 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 3rd. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $113.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 30th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $120.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Friday, May 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $134.00 in a research note on Friday, May 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $122.38.

Insider Activity

In other Choice Hotels International news, Director William L. Jews sold 2,214 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.46, for a total value of $264,484.44. Following the transaction, the director now owns 23,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,794,049.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Choice Hotels International news, Director William L. Jews sold 2,214 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.46, for a total value of $264,484.44. Following the transaction, the director now owns 23,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,794,049.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,680 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.05, for a total transaction of $211,764.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 33,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,209,313.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,642 shares of company stock worth $570,459 over the last 90 days. 23.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Choice Hotels International

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Choice Hotels International, Inc engages in the franchising and operations of hotels. It operates through Hotel Franchising, and Corporate and Other segments. The Hotel Franchising segment refers to the hotel franchising operations consisting of the company’s several hotel brands. The Corporate and Other segment deals with hotel revenues and rental income related to office buildings owned by the company.