Mariner LLC Buys 439 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Mariner LLC increased its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 19.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,697 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 439 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLC’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $383,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $506,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 12,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,838,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 2,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $300,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $883,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on CHH shares. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Choice Hotels International from $124.00 to $115.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $141.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $132.00 to $111.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $135.69.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

NYSE CHH opened at $129.40 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.77, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.08. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $130.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $139.85. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.22 and a 1 year high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $389.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.24 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 472.31% and a net margin of 18.91%. Research analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.46%.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In related news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total transaction of $519,050.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,219,797.90. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total value of $257,032.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,622,821.60. This represents a 5.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

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.