Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Shares Bought by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 22.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,793 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,075 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $769,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 66.2% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 64.7% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 30.3% during 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. Finally, Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 604 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In other news, Director Ervin R. Shames sold 2,000 shares of the company’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 value of $259,120.00. Following the completion of 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.45, for a total transaction of $341,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 68,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,330,587.45. This trade represents a 3.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,500 shares of company stock worth $1,906,520. Company insiders own 23.78% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $121.00 price target on shares of Choice Hotels International in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Susquehanna set a $140.00 target price on Choice Hotels International and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $111.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $154.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the company from $141.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, April 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $134.38.

Choice Hotels International Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $125.93 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $129.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.23, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.96. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $116.20 and a 52 week high of $157.86.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $332.86 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $348.52 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.28 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

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

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.