Legal & General Group Plc Trims Holdings in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Legal & General Group Plc lowered its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,790 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,590 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.09% of Choice Hotels International worth $5,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CHH. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter valued at $48,201,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 38.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 402,293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,419,000 after acquiring an additional 111,903 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter valued at about $15,354,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter valued at about $10,779,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 85.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 134,188 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,052,000 after acquiring an additional 61,849 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of CHH opened at $123.96 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $135.15 and a 200 day moving average of $140.41. The company has a market cap of $5.79 billion, a PE ratio of 19.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.22 and a 52-week high of $157.86.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.10. The firm 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Susquehanna upped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Truist Financial lifted their price target 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 increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $139.15.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In other news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 directly owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,219,797.90. The trade was a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $4,622,821.60. The trade was a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.