Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) Shares Sold by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC lessened its holdings in shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 62.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,409 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,055 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Choice Hotels International were worth $1,486,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 77.2% during the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,105,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $488,590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,788,563 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Choice Hotels International by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 675,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,340,000 after purchasing an additional 26,289 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted 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 purchasing an additional 113,951 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 51.5% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 266,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,767,000 after acquiring an additional 90,765 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in shares of Choice Hotels International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $19,545,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Choice Hotels International

In other news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 7,192 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.95, for a total transaction of $1,042,480.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,656,336.70. The trade was a 1.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CHH has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Choice Hotels International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Choice Hotels International from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $133.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $134.36.

Choice Hotels International Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:CHH opened at $141.09 on Monday. 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 $6.62 billion, a PE ratio of 27.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $144.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.66. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.91 and a 1 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $428.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $432.62 million. Choice Hotels International had a net margin of 16.27% and a negative return on equity of 659.01%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.82 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.84 EPS for the current year.

Choice Hotels International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.2875 per share. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.03%.

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.