Pacer Advisors Inc. Sells 635 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Pacer Advisors Inc. trimmed its stake in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 11.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,705 shares of the company’s stock after selling 635 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $625,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,201,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 69.8% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 292,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,577,000 after buying an additional 120,376 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the fourth quarter worth $15,354,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International during the 4th quarter worth about $10,779,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 85.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 134,188 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,052,000 after purchasing an additional 61,849 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of CHH stock opened at $127.59 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.96. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $129.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $133.37. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a one year low of $116.20 and a one year high of $157.86.

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

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.56%.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 5,000 shares of the business’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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 70,881 shares in the company, valued at $9,111,043.74. This represents a 6.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.56, for a total transaction of $259,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 52,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,764,586.72. The trade was a 3.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,906,520 over the last 90 days. 23.78% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on CHH. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on 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. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price 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. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $121.00 price target on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Choice Hotels International in a report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $124.00 price objective on the stock. Four investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $134.38.

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.