Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $150.35 and last traded at $149.88, with a volume of 11740 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.30.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHH has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays raised their target price on Choice Hotels International from $112.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Choice Hotels International from $144.00 to $134.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Choice Hotels International from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $130.00.

Choice Hotels International Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $7.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $136.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $126.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 659.01% and a net margin of 16.27%. The business had revenue of $428.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $432.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. Choice Hotels International’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. Choice Hotels International’s payout ratio is currently 22.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 9,138 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.88, for a total value of $1,232,533.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,509 shares in the company, valued at $9,240,493.92. This represents a 11.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of Choice Hotels International stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.95, for a total value of $1,042,480.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares in the company, valued at $58,656,336.70. The trade was a 1.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,437 shares of company stock worth $9,788,980. 24.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHH. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at about $55,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 30.1% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 14,889 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,940,000 after purchasing an additional 3,446 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in Choice Hotels International in the third quarter valued at approximately $395,000. MML Investors Services LLC increased its position in Choice Hotels International by 13.6% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 6,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $872,000 after buying an additional 802 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 31.4% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 143,783 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,735,000 after acquiring an additional 34,396 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

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.