Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Shares Sold by Arizona State Retirement System

Arizona State Retirement System trimmed its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 9,154 shares of the company’s stock after selling 283 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $1,037,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Benjamin Edwards Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 2nd quarter worth about $52,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 42.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 566 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 143.5% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 577 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Choice Hotels International from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $96.00 to $156.00 in a report on Monday, March 11th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Choice Hotels International from $142.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Barclays raised their target price on Choice Hotels International from $114.00 to $119.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. StockNews.com downgraded Choice Hotels International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Choice Hotels International in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $131.40.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

CHH stock opened at $119.24 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.02. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $108.91 and a 52-week high of $136.02. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $121.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.38. The company has a market capitalization of $5.92 billion, a PE ratio of 23.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.21.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The company reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.09. Choice Hotels International had a return on equity of 594.23% and a net margin of 16.74%. The company had revenue of $358.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $369.44 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.26 EPS. Choice Hotels International’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 2nd will be given a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 22.73%.

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.