Bank of Montreal Can Buys 149 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,221 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $883,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CHH. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the third quarter worth approximately $55,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its position in Choice Hotels International by 836.2% in the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at $62,000. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $123.96 on Friday. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $109.22 and a fifty-two week high of $157.86. The company’s 50-day moving average is $135.15 and its 200 day moving average is $140.34. The company has a market capitalization of $5.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $389.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. As a group, research analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is 18.46%.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $519,050.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This represents a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on CHH shares. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Bank of America lifted their price target on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Redburn Atlantic raised Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $132.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. StockNews.com cut Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Choice Hotels International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $139.15.

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.