Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Reaches New 52-Week Low Following Analyst Downgrade

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday after Bank of America downgraded the stock from a buy rating to an underperform rating. Bank of America now has a $110.00 price target on the stock. Choice Hotels International traded as low as $106.46 and last traded at $106.93, with a volume of 50102 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $109.45.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on CHH. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $160.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $121.00 target price on shares of Choice Hotels International in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $144.00 to $136.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $124.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $121.00 to $117.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $129.15.

Insider Activity at Choice Hotels International

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 4,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 8th. The stock was 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 approximately $9,407,326.32. This trade represents a 6.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 7,500 shares of company stock worth $1,004,700 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International during the second quarter worth about $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 66.2% during the first 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. acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 64.7% in the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 138.5% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 291 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Choice Hotels International Stock Down 0.9%

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $119.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $124.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.02 billion, a PE ratio of 16.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.90.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $426.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $430.13 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 19.52% and a negative return on equity of 575.73%. Choice Hotels International’s quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.69%.

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.