Choice Hotels International, Inc. $CHH Shares Sold by Ethic Inc.

Ethic Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 9.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,511 shares of the company’s stock after selling 450 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $577,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International by 64.7% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 138.5% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 291 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp acquired a new stake in Choice Hotels International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 119.1% in the 2nd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of CHH opened at $95.06 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.62, a PEG ratio of 6.81 and a beta of 0.83. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.62 and a 1 year high of $157.86. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $108.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $120.85.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $426.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 1st were issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America cut shares of Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $121.00 to $106.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $117.00 to $101.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Choice Hotels International in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $126.77.

About Choice Hotels International

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.