Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” by the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $135.69.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on CHH. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $141.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com downgraded Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, CFO Scott E. Oaksmith sold 1,780 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.40, for a total transaction of $257,032.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 32,014 shares in the company, valued at $4,622,821.60. This trade represents a 5.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 66.2% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 256 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the first quarter worth $35,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 64.7% in the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 55.8% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $125.69 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.87 billion, a PE ratio of 20.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $129.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.74. Choice Hotels International has a one year low of $109.22 and a one year 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 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.46%.

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.