Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Has $1.53 Million Stock Position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 2.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,498 shares of the company’s stock after selling 303 shares during the quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $1,527,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Choice Hotels International by 56.9% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 17,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,541,000 after acquiring an additional 6,493 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Choice Hotels International by 492.4% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,207 shares of the company’s stock worth $691,000 after acquiring an additional 4,328 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Choice Hotels International by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 234,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,077,000 after acquiring an additional 7,159 shares during the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 1st quarter worth approximately $278,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 85.5% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 134,188 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,052,000 after purchasing an additional 61,849 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $132.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $121.00 price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. They set an “underweight” rating and a $124.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $134.38.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CHH opened at $131.28 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $128.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $133.85. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a one year low of $116.20 and a one year high of $157.86. The firm has a market cap of $6.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.96.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.38 by ($0.04). The company 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 revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.28 earnings per share. On average, equities 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Choice Hotels International

In related news, Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s 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 $6,764,586.72. This trade represents a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 4,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.72, for a total value of $650,328.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 70,881 shares in the company, valued at $9,407,326.32. This trade represents a 6.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 12,000 shares of company stock worth $1,565,395. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by 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.