Fmr LLC Sells 131 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Fmr LLC lowered its holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 3.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,214 shares of the company’s stock after selling 131 shares during the period. Fmr LLC’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $419,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 307.4% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 220 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 129.4% during the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 1,146.9% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the second quarter valued at $56,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the second quarter valued at $69,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CHH shares. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $133.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $118.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $134.18.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In other news, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $231,390.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 18,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,441,340. This represents a 8.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 9,138 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.88, for a total transaction of $1,232,533.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,509 shares in the company, valued at $9,240,493.92. This represents a 11.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 53,572 shares of company stock worth $7,562,444. Company insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CHH opened at $140.70 on Friday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a one year low of $108.91 and a one year high of $153.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $6.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.23. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $143.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $130.61.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. The business had revenue of $428.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $432.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. Choice Hotels International’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.84 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.03%.

Choice Hotels International 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.