Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $6.93 Million Position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 0.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,210 shares of the company’s stock after selling 178 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.11% of Choice Hotels International worth $6,932,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 66.2% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 256 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 836.2% in the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth $62,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth $65,000. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHH has been the topic of several analyst reports. Susquehanna set a $140.00 target price on shares of Choice Hotels International and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They set an “underweight” rating and a $124.00 target price on the stock. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $132.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $121.00 target price on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, 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 research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $134.38.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

NYSE CHH opened at $131.50 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $128.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.12. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $116.20 and a twelve month high of $157.86. The stock has a market cap of $6.10 billion, a PE ratio of 20.08, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.96.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.38 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $332.86 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $348.52 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 377.51% and a net margin of 19.75%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.28 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In other news, Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.56, for a total value of $259,120.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 52,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,764,586.72. This represents a 3.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.54, for a total transaction of $642,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 70,881 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,111,043.74. The trade was a 6.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,565,395 in the last three months. 24.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.