Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Price Target Raised to $121.00

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its price objective increased by Barclays from $111.00 to $121.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an underweight rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on CHH. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $141.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Susquehanna set a $140.00 price objective on Choice Hotels International and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $124.00 target price for the company. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $132.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, March 24th. Four research 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. According to MarketBeat, Choice Hotels International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $134.38.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 0.7%

CHH stock opened at $131.19 on Tuesday. Choice Hotels International has a 12-month low of $116.20 and a 12-month high of $157.86. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $128.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a PE ratio of 20.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.96.

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

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st were issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.56%.

Insider Activity

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.54, for a total transaction of $642,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 70,881 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,111,043.74. This represents a 6.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,000 shares of company stock worth $1,565,395. Corporate insiders own 23.78% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Choice Hotels International

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,895,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 836.2% during the 4th 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 period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 12,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,838,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 4,961 shares of the company’s stock worth $704,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

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.