Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) Price Target Raised to $135.00

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) had its target price increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $122.00 to $135.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an underweight rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on CHH. StockNews.com raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Choice Hotels International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Choice Hotels International in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $133.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial raised their price target on Choice Hotels International from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Choice Hotels International from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Choice Hotels International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $134.18.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of CHH opened at $146.45 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $142.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $130.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.87 billion, a PE ratio of 28.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.23. Choice Hotels International has a one year low of $108.91 and a one year high of $153.81.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $428.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 659.01% and a net margin of 16.27%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.82 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International will post 6.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.03%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.95, for a total transaction of $1,042,480.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,656,336.70. This represents a 1.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Patrick Cimerola sold 1,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $231,390.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,441,340. The trade was a 8.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 61,412 shares of company stock valued at $8,582,271 in the last ninety days. 24.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Choice Hotels International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CHH. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 77.2% during the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,105,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $488,590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,788,563 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 675,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,340,000 after acquiring an additional 26,289 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in Choice Hotels International by 45.4% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 364,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,557,000 after acquiring an additional 113,951 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 51.5% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 266,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,767,000 after purchasing an additional 90,765 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Choice Hotels International by 917.2% during the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 161,799 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,254,000 after purchasing an additional 145,893 shares in the last quarter. 65.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.